Emry, November 2014
Just because this age is ridiculous and utterly charming, frustrating and adorable. One moment, I can't wait until he's old enough to take himself pee in the middle of the night. The next moment, I never want him to grow too old that he doesn't want to have a cuddle from his Mama.
Just because it's Monday, and there's a meerkat head poking from his backpack, and there's no gum stuck in his wild blonde hair, like there was last week.
Just because this was a recent dialogue happening in the backseat of my car as we drove to a playdate at a friend's house:
Emry: Elan, let's pick our noses at their house.
Me: No, let's not pick our noses at other peoples' houses.
Emry: What about sucking thumbs? Can we do that at their house?
Elan: Sure. You can, Emry. I don't think I will.
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Elan in full shagginess, March 2013 Post-bang trim, with the most beautiful lollipop
You know what happens? I write a long, involved post, but then I get stopped somewhere along the way (usually at putting the pictures in), and then I just stop posting altogether. That one blockage just keeps everything else from flowing out around it. Maybe life is like this too. We get stuck on one thing that's not working, and it's difficult to shift our focus, to work around that one thing and keep going.
So now it's spring, ... more
"Color camp" - he's the counselor, the tiles are the campers, Birch Bay, WA, August 2012
We were getting ready for the third day of kindergarten. I was in the kitchen, working on my morning checklist.
Lunch - packed.
Backpack - ready.
Bike helmets - in bike trailer.
My breakfast - in process...
Elan was munching on a bowl of Os while jumping on the couch when suddenly he announced, "I'm afraid of dying."
I finished pouring the milk into my cereal while wondering what kind of response I should have to this question. Here's ... more
Elan on the pumpkin pile, October 2011Halloween was a very big deal at our house this year. First, we went to our neighborhood's version of a pumpkin patch, which is more a pumpkin pile, a huge hill of pumpkins at Monterey Market. The kids (and brave adults) scramble all over the pumpkins, including some that must weigh 100 pounders (pumpkins, not people, well, people too, but that's nothing extraordinary).Someone should have taken a picture of the maneuvers I ... more
Superhero on the beach, San Diego, July 2011A conversation between Elan & me, on the topic of allergies:"Mama, what am I allergic to?"You're not allergic to anything, love." (thinking I'm delivering good news)"That's not fair!""Oh, okay. Maybe you're allergic to... to... porcupines.""Yeah! Remember when we saw that one at the zoo?""Yup.""I wasn't very close to it, or I would have sneezed.""Yeah. Good thing.""For real, Mama?""Could be.""No, I'm not allergic to porcupines. Know what I'm allergic to?""What?""Signs! See, there's one there, and I'm just going ... more
Elan & Emry pose with Interfaceflor tiles, June 2011Elan: "Me and Wems are a team."Nana: "That's right! You and Emry are a team, just like your Mama and Dulu [my sister Laura] are a team."Elan: "We're going to be a team always! Until... until we die!"Nana: "Yes, well, let's hope that doesn't happen for a very, very long time."
Gonzo Photo credit: svensonsan, flickrRecently, we borrowed my sister-in-law's copy of Muppets Take Manhattan. The picture on the cover made me nostalgic, remembering happy hours with the characters of Fraggle Rock with my sister when we were small (she was particularly obsessed with Fraggles).But Elan had a different take on the movie. After watching it, he proclaimed, "That's not a funny movie! That's a scary movie!"I had never thought of Muppets as scary before, even if they are ... more
My picky eater, as a dinner plate is set before him:"I love ham!"What every Jewish mother loves to hear."Blueberries -- yuck!"What kid doesn't like blueberries? They're blue, and sweet. What's not to like?"Seaweed -- yum! I love seaweed!"Go figure."Can I have dessert?"Now chocolate -- that's pretty much always a winner.Just like his mama.
Before we moved here, I always thought that if I ever bought a house in Berkeley, I'd want a Japanese maple. And then we found our little place. This tree is around forty years old, and nearly every window in our house looks out at it. I love how this tree visually marks the seasons for us even from inside our home. I adore it year-round, though fall is its most spectacular show.In the car, Elan and I were talking about the autumn color show that's taken over Berkeley. ... more
A cloudy day at the beach is still a day at the beachElan named the baby. Thank goodness, because Mikhail and I have been having some trouble with this task. One morning, playing a game involving magnetic tow truck and wrecked cars with numbers on them, Elan said "Baby Tie-lie is 1 years old." Only a blip of hesitation before he busted out with "Tie-lie." Then he towed the "1" over to my belly and plopped it on top. Also, according to him, it's a girl. He's thought that ... more
Elan's favorite joke: "Pee-pee comes out of my butt, and poop comes out of my wee-wee!"(Peals of laughter follow)Clearly, his friend Ben shares the same sense of humor. Check out my friend Andrea's latest post. Ah, the humiliation humility of parenthood!