Daddy Day

That's what Wiggle called Father's Day.

It was a day punctuated by minis. We started the day with mini chocolate babkas that I made (with smittenkitchen's recipe). Wiggle presented C with his gifts he made at school - a footprint bookmark and a painted paperweight, and his gifts from us - a wallet and a trilobite keychain I made, but Wiggle thought of.

Bountiful babkas

Then it was off to mini golf. 

Check out this dedicated daddy

Checking out Daddy's putter

Putting is serious business

Really serious business

Do you like my Elmo backpack?

Crossing to the "back" nine

After nap, we went to the pool to cool off and goof around.

Then we grilled fajitas. Chicken fajitas with all the fixin's which we ate on the patio on a glorious warm and beautiful evening.

Check out this grill master

He ate three fully stuffed tortillas with "everything!"

After dinner the usual bedtime routine with plenty of Daddy-Wiggle story time.

Buster was listening intently too

Some before bedtime brother snuggles

A relaxed, easy, fun day. A very good "Daddy Day" from my perspective, and I believe that C will back me up on it.

My Incredible Boys

So, I'm going to be a crazy mom for a moment and brag about my boys. They are, of course, always wonderful, but to today - oh boy!

Buster said "hello." I know, I know. It doesn't sound remotely believable, but he did, he said it clear as day. Actually, he said a breathy, "hellllooooo" then grinned a big grin at me, and then refused to say anything for a few minutes.

He has been stringing syllables together for a few weeks "abagagada" and the like, and he has said "dada" a few times. He only said it around C at first, so I didn't really believe him when he told me about it, but then I heard it one night - "da-da" and then again, and a third time. There was no mistaking it. So I assure you, I know what I heard today.

Don't misunderstand me, I do not think that he deliberately said "dada" to C to identify or name him, but instead repeated the same syllables that we have been making at him for weeks. C tends to favor "dadada" for some reason or another, so Buster strung two da's together.

And the same for "hello." We say hello a lot to him and he managed to string those two syllables together today, and got mad positive feedback for it, I might add. Still it was one of those things where I looked around my empty family room and thought "there's no one here to hear this! No one is going to believe me." But then I remembered that I don't really care whether other people believe, I'm his mother and I'm sticking by my story. My little boy is just amazing.

And then there is Wiggle. Wiggle who took the New Yorker to bed with him today for his nap. I was laughing aloud at a couple of the cartoons in the latest issue, and Wiggle asked to see them and now he carries it around and laughs at everything in it, the ads, the cartoons, the drawings. I think he thinks it's MAD magazine or something. It's pretty adorable.

Also, he is swimming. Like full on swimming. Last week, he still didn't like to put his head under water, and today he was jumping off the edge in the deep end and swimming.

It all started about a week ago when he told me he wants to go off the diving board, and I told him he couldn't because he had to pass a swim test given by the life guards to show that he could swim to the wall from the middle of the pool. He took it as a challenge, when I merely meant it as a statement of current fact. The same day he mastered kicking with a kickboard all on his own. The next day we went swimming, he started putting his head underwater and moving his arms and legs around. The next day he was swimming under water for short distances for one breath. Today, he jumped off the edge, swam with his face in the water, and was able to take one or two breaths. I have not done anything to facilitate him other than be near him in case he needs help and cheer him on. I am in just in awe.

Austerity Measures

You may remember that I posted about making a budget in the fall. Well, that only sort of happened. I mean I started it and all that, but then the holidays happened and there were all of these one time/seasonal purchases which made it harder for me to look at our current budget and predict or plan for our future spending habits, and then I had Buster and sitting down with bills and receipts and computer screens just didn't enter the equation for awhile.

But then I had Buster, and...

I know it sounds like I'm repeating myself, but I'm not. Really. I didn't get back to the budgeting because I was otherwise occupied with an infant, but that not-so-little infant also started my anxiety gears turning and that anxiety started to roll downhill toward the rushing river below that is our finances. I kept trying to get hold, and it kept rushing past my open hand. That probably sounds a little dramatic, but that's what sleep deprivation and a crying baby will do to you.

So now, many months later, I have actually done the work and made the budget. The verdict is in, and there will indeed have to be changes.

Budgeting is scary; well, budgeting when you don't have a lot of money is scary. It's not like we're going to be out on the street anytime soon, but we do need to be careful. With a second child, buying a house, me being home full-time, and going back to school, we definitely have to be careful. Careful is fine, careful can be good even, once I see how it all works out, but right now it's still a little scary. The thing about budgeting for every penny is that, well, there are no pennies left at the end of the budgeting. It feels weird when your goal is zero.

I have planned modestly for saving for purchases and car repairs, vacations, restaurants, even parking costs, which we don't regularly have. So zero is fine because it includes everything, even some contingencies, but it still feels wrong. I want slop in the system, but I can't have any slop until I am sure we can afford slop, and I'm not sure that we can for the next few years at least. After that I will go back to work and there will be more breathing room financially or at least that's the idea.

For now I will count pennies and try to remember that not having money in my pocket is fine as long as I know where it is.

Wiggle has the picnic bug. Luckily picnics are fun and free!

Lavender Farm

On Saturday we went to a farm to pick lavender. I know, it's pretty random, but there was a livingsocial deal and I thought it sounded fun and like it would smell good. It was and it did.

The farm itself was pretty small; I have seen pictures of lavender farms in Oregon or Washington where whole fields were purple and bushy, but this was just a few rows of plants between a couple of family houses and a little shop.

Fragrant lavender rows

But the lavender was still very pretty and smelled wonderful. We only took a few pictures because the sun was unforgiving.

Wiggle and me and lavender and cars

 Plus, we packed a picnic and there was a wonderful shady spot to eat.

Wiggle sprinted for the playhouse that was hidden in the shade of the tree.

We enjoyed our chicken salad sandwiches and then lounged around for a bit while Wiggle played in the little house that even had a front porch and a little porch swing. 

Buster spent most of the time talking to Elmo and giving us big grins.

He has a lot to say to Elmo.

Some of his grins are sly.

There is no family pic because Wiggle decided to wrap up the lunch by running away when we told him it was time to leave (with ample warning and an offer of a last ride on the bouncy horse before we packed up). He went up onto the second story porch of the farmer's house and then tried to hide under patio furniture. 

We made a rapid exit. 

How quickly things turn from pleasant to petulant with a toddler. A good day nonetheless.

Slip Slidin' Away

I wish the title of this post was about some water fun that involved sliding, but alas instead it is about the fleetingness of summer. Of course, there has been fun in the water too, and strawberry picking, and grilling, and chasing lightening bugs in the dark, but it just all feels like it is going so fast. Too fast.
I remember when summer seemed like an endless stretch of time that lollygagged out in front of you, and fall was merely a distant point on the horizon. But now with two kids, a husband who's research schedule goes into high gear in the summertime, and a house and lawn that need extra tending in months with good weather, I feel like I spend my days grasping around trying to get my bearings while my eye is fixed firmly to a telescope. Needless to say, I have a nasty case of vertigo most days.

Let me take this evening to try to cover at least one of the iconic summer moments we have already experienced -

We went strawberry picking.

On the Wednesday before Wiggle's last day of school, we piled into the car, even though the forecast threatened rain, and drove an hour straight west to a bare bones strawberry farm. The weather held out, the location was absolutely charming, and the strawberries were delicious. Wiggle's favorite food right now is strawberries, so he was in hog heaven. I think we all were a little.

Heading into the fields

Showing Daddy a specimen

Giving Buster a snack break

No leaf went unturned

This kid knows how to channel Norman Rockwell

Pure joy

Picking strawberries is serious business

Two of my favorite guys

Looking satisfied with the haul

The haul

A long overdue family photo

That's all for now. In order to keep the slipping at bay, I have to try to balance my time between living these moments and recording them, and right now I'm going to choose to rest up to live some more of them tomorrow.                                                                                                               

Wonderful Weekend Weather

This week is Wiggle's last week of school, except it's not really. He goes to summer school for a few weeks starting the week after next, but he will have a different teacher and there will be new kids. His first year of school really flew by. He has changed so much in the past year. He's so mature in some ways, in others he's all three. When he goes to sleep at night he says "Goodnight Mommy! Goodnight Daddy! I'll see you in the morning!" He helps C take out the trash in the morning and unload the dishwasher. When he wipes up a spill, he rinses and wrings out the sponge when he's done. I can't believe how quickly he's growing up.

Friday at school they had "water day." The kids had a blast in the pools and the sprinkler, but the biggest hit was washing cars. They had shaving cream which they put on sponges to "soap" the cars. Wiggle was a little confused after awhile because then the cars were covered in shaving cream and actually needed to be washed. He stayed until the end and helped hose them off before they were put away.

Hard at work

When we woke up yesterday morning to a beautiful, clear, sunny day I thought it would be fun to wash our car. So C and Wiggle went off to the hardware store to procure a big sponge and some soap to wash the car. Cleaning the inside of the car took longer than we had anticipated, but the payoff was huge. I can't remember the last time we cleaned under the car seats. Kids are dirty. C and I are messy; the front seats had errant receipts, a straw wrapper, dried out pens, etc, but the backseat was all goldfish crumbs, glitter, beads, and a pervasive unidentifiable stickiness. Totally gross.

Finally after nap, the guys got out the hose and the bucket and got to work. Buster and I got to sit on the sidelines in the shade and watch. I wasn't able to take any pics really because the only shady spot to sit in with the babe was a little far away, but it was a joy to watch. I hope it becomes another father-son tradition.

Let the washing begin!

Buster making eyes at me while the other boys washed the car

Then we went out back and listened to some opera while Wiggle and I, wearing Buster, played some Frisbee, and C grilled some chicken. When the yard got too buggy, we went in and ate bbq chicken pizza together. The boys had a bath, stories, and went down. Even I fell asleep while sitting in Wiggle's room waiting for him to go down. A great day overall.

Today after avocado toast and getting to read a few headlines in the NYT, we all went outside while C did some poison ivy removal. I had to show him where I had seen it in the yard, but I didn't dare remove it on the remote chance that I would transfer it to Buster while breastfeeding. C got all decked out in double gloves, long pants tucked into socks, a long sleeve shirt, and went out with bags and a shovel to try and dig out roots and then bag the offending plants. There didn't seem to be a lot, but what there is is intertwined in our blackberry thicket, which are also leaves of three, so identifying it is tricky. We will have to do more investigating before berry picking time unless all the birds get to the berries before we can.

In the afternoon, I put Wiggle down for his nap and then decadently had my own nap with Buster. Wiggle woke up before us, and C took him to buy me a bird feeder and seed, so I can really put my birdwatching book from Mother's Day to use. My boys really know how to pamper me! Then we set it up, and painted with watercolors on the patio while waiting for some birds to arrive. I think we were making too much noise for the birds today, but they were starting to fly by to investigate, so I'm hoping the feeder will get some action this week.

C ground meat for burgers and then grilled them while the boys and I played. Topped with some pepper jack, avocado, and mayo, the burgers received an A+ from the three of us. A giggly bath time followed, and then we put both boys down.

If every weekend could be like this one, I would have no other ambition than to do this day in and day out. I am really looking forward to summer.

Mother's Day Rundown

I had a fantastic Mother's Day this year. First of all, Wiggle's preschool had a Mother's Day brunch on Thursday. The kids sang a song and did a dance; Wiggle charmed everyone by turning to face me during the song and yelling "Mom! Mom! These are called pom-poms!" before he picked up his pom-poms. He then alternated between following the directions for the dance and having a loud conversation with the girl next to him. In other words, he was awesome.
Then we sat down to open presents of handmade picture frames and a card in which he said I was as beautiful as "silence." His teacher came by and said that everyone else pretty much said "flower," and she doesn't think Wiggle likes silence that much, but that he can always be counted on for a different sort of answer. As I write this, it makes her sound rude, but she meant it nicely; she adores him and his idiosyncrasies.
Yesterday, C took Wiggle out to shop for me and then came home and they made a card and wrapped my presents. Wiggle hid the presents and the card under his bed, and as I was putting him to bed, he made me promise not to look into the orange bag and spoil my surprise. He said I could have them "at seven o'clock!" which is the time we say morning activities can start for our early riser. Then around midnight I heard him wake up followed by a large amount of banging and rustling. He burst into our room and asked "is it seven yet?" with the orange bag in hand, when I replied that it wasn't, he retreated, I heard telltale rustling of an orange bag being re-hidden under the bed, and then there was silence. I asked if he wanted me to come and sit with him while he went back to sleep, but he called out in a very sad voice that he didn't want me to come in, he was just going to sit on his bed by himself. C went in with him and consoled him about it still being the middle of the night and not being able to give me my present yet.

At seven on the dot, Wiggle rushed into my room and gave me this.

Two lipsticks and some stress balm

And this...

His handmade card. He even signed his name on the inside!

My kid must know me well because his gift was perfect. Even the lipstick colors were good and Wiggle had chosen one himself.

I also got a Sibley guide to birds and a Peterson guide for trees and shrubs for the East Coast. Since we moved to Virginia, I have been wanting to get into birdwatching. I have never seen so many varieties, and even our common ones are cool. Our yard gets as many visits from cardinals and blue jays as it does from sparrows, which is something I've never experienced before. I also probably need a wildflower guide, but for now I will try to identify some of the vegetative beasts growing in our backyard. There might be some plants worth salvaging and for the things not worth salvaging, I want to be able to spot them early so they don't take over. This is to say my gifts are awesome and I love them.

This morning C made me poached eggs, one Benedict and one Florentine, with pancakes. He also had grapefruit juice which is my favorite. I even had time to read one and a half articles in the Sunday NYT. I read the entire article about diagnosing child psychopathy and half of the one about the rising burden of college costs. I found both of them frightening.

My excellent breakfast

In the afternoon, we went to the Kennedy Center for the first time to hear a concert. In fact, it was the first cultural event we had gone to since we moved here (outside of going to museums), which is a little sad to think about. I like the building and the terraces are beautiful. I would love to sip a drink and look out over the Potomac at intermission in the evening sometime.

We were going to the National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert -Carnival of the Animals. Before the concert, they had a musical "petting zoo." We had waited to tell Wiggle about it until last night because he is obsessed with instruments and we were afraid he would get too worked up if he knew about it well in advance; he and C cut out cardboard representations of whole symphonies every week it seems. Then we spent a long time managing his expectations by telling him that he would not probably get to make sounds on many brass or woodwinds because they use mouthpieces and reeds, and you need to hold your mouth in certain shapes, etc.
It turns out all of our prep was silly for several reasons. We walked in to a cacophony of symphonic sounds, all propagated by children. Kids were blowing tubas, mouthing clarinets, banging drums, and bowing cellos. Each instrument had a dozen or so mouthpieces or the like, and volunteers took the used ones washed them in a bowl and set them out again. Wiggle, however, was completely overwhelmed and almost shut down. He clung to me and said he didn't want to try any instrument, not even the French horn, which he talks about at home incessantly. He eventually agreed to try one... the violin.

What can I say? Suzuki may be in our future.

The concert itself was wonderful and trying at the same time. Wiggle enjoyed the first ten minutes and then declared that he wanted to go; C had to take him out for a few minutes because he was going tostart to yell in the concert hall. When they came back, he was remarkably well behaved, a little fidgety, but generally quiet and attentive. Then towards the end he became restless again and was attempting to talk. I was trying to get him interested in the music, whispering about the likeness of a movement to an animal and such. Just when I thought he was really into it, he broke into a wide grin and said "I peed." C whisked him off to the bathroom while I tried to corral Buster, the acrobatic nurser, to my chest and keep him under the scarf I was using as a cover-up. Wiggle managed to make it back for the finale and clapped in earnest for the performance. Afterward the narrator and author, Jack Prelutsky, was going to sign books. I really wanted to get one for Wiggle, but waiting in the lines would have pushed a nice day into a potentially disastrous one, so we opted to play outside and have a snack until the crowd died down instead.

Me- tired, Wiggle- distracted, and Buster- upset and hungry. Not actually a very good representation of the day as a whole.

We came home and had grilled pizza with fresh mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes for dinner. Both the boys were down by 8:30, and then C and I watched last night's Saturday Night Live. All-in-all a fabulous Mother's Day.