Dining Room update

Jack Frost was here: The Closest We'll Get to a White Christmas

Morning frost in late December

Snapshot: Some "End of Summer" Gardening

Evelyn at work in the new garden bed

Snapshot: Summer "Harvest"

This is the second year we've planted peas behind the house and Evelyn is enjoying them again!  Fortunately, there are still plenty of flowers on the plants so we should see more pea pods soon. 

Transition week

This week has come with quite a few meltdowns, tears, and missed naps.  It can be challenging for adults to get back into their usual routine after a two-week holiday break, so imagine how tough the transition is for a toddler who needs some level of predictability to feel secure.  Sure, I'm still here, but Daddy has gone back to work and we've resumed some of our activities that had been on break.  This weekend, we're hoping to reset ourselves and start anew on Monday.  I'm really hoping for a more peaceful week.  I may need to cancel all non-essential appointments and just let the kids take the lead. 

For his part, Henry has continued to make to new discoveries-- seemingly on a daily basis.  Just the other day, he stood at the train table with Evelyn and slobbered on the train and then banged it around a bit-- that isn't new.  Then, Henry looked up at me and put the train onto the wooden track.  He was mimicking Evelyn.  Obviously, this is a sign of brilliance.  It was very cute.  See for yourself.

Warm

"I want a house that will keep me warm."  Evelyn has been saying this when she plays pretend.  It's a line from Shel Silvertein's book, The Giving Tree.  I explained that we have a house to keep us warm and dry.  It's a place just for our family.  We can invite friends over.  We can play, dance, and read books.  Evelyn loves talking about our house (and as we walk through the neighborhood, she likes to point to other houses and tell me that they belong to "someone else"), so we've certainly talked about the concept of a home before.  Evelyn persisted though, "no, Mama.  I want a house that will keep me warm!  Can you give me a house?"

I realized that she expected me to respond as the tree had-- offering materials to build a house.  As I was in the middle of making my bed, I offered our huge down comforter.  Evelyn adores playing with this blanket.  She crawled inside and then poked her head out, proclaiming "this is my very own house!"  Her words, and the sweet innocence of her imitative and pretend play, made me think about all of the children who don't know the warmth of their very own home, or a home at all.  Last year, we decided to sponsor the Christmas wish list of a little boy living in foster care.  We will continue to give in various ways throughout the year, but I'd like to include Evelyn-- in an age-appropriate manner-- this year.  I am still working out the details, but I know she understands the concept of helping another person.

Fall landscape project 2010

We enlisted our local nursery for help with a garden bed renovation. Our entry bed has been home to overgrown shrubs (four). It was neither inviting nor safe. Our door and front porch were a bit claustrophobic, if I may speak for them.



It took quite a while for the landscaper to cut down the shrubs, the holly was essentially a tree at this point. I'm ordinarily not a fan of chopping down plants, but in this case I was glad to see them go.



Evelyn was quite impressed by the pile of branches.

Snapshot: A little organization

Slide-out cupboard units



Evie's closet

Projects!

With the help of my amazing friend (and godmother of my children), at least six household projects have been completed in just a couple of days. I am still enjoying the post-project glow. It is next to impossible to complete major sorting- organizing- building with a toddler under foot and a newborn in your arms. Even with Henry in a sling, I don't exactly feel comfortable wielding a hammer on four hours of sleep. Fortunately, as was the case even in college when I could decorate and stage a room like nobody's business but could not get my closet doors to close for lack of organization, my friend is a super woman when it comes to tackling to-do lists and streamlining items.

Our college diplomas have been matted, framed, and hung. Evelyn's closet is organized and her clothing is sorted and folded in pink and green drawers on her shelves. Henry's room (someday)/ the office has been de-cluttered-- a massive undertaking! Boxes are packed and ready to ship. Our laundry "room" is cleared and a new shelf has been built and organized; the dining room received a new storage shelf, too. I'm positive that I'm leaving out a few things. My mother-in-law also helped us through heaps of laundry. We were just lucky ducks this weekend I tell you! The house is sparkling and organized. Ahhh.

It's a hit!

The birdhouse Evelyn and I picked up at Home Depot seems to be doing its job. We've had our first sighting now so the word must be out in the bird community that there is a new feeder in the neighborhood. Now we need to learn to identify our new friends. I think Evelyn will really enjoy that.

If you don't have anything nice to say. . .

Last week was rough. I'll admit it. I sincerely hope that this week (and next week, and so on) is better. It seems to me that juggling a household, a newborn, and a toddler is one part delicate dance, one part sheer luck. No matter how much I prepare things ahead of time and try to plan activities I think Evelyn will enjoy around times I think Henry will be happily sleeping in a carrier or a sling, there are kinks. Sometimes Evelyn is just overtired and cranky. Sometimes it's Henry. Sometimes it is me! Anyway, I am making a concerted effort to look on the bright side. So I will try my best to set the temper tantrums aside (there are rain boots and socks scattered around the backyard courtesy of this morning's tantrum).

Yesterday, I took Evelyn to Home Depot. A mother-daughter trip, just the two of us. We picked out some light bulbs and some boring household things and then I let her choose a plant for the garden. She chose another lavender plant. Excellent choice, I think. I love the scent and I really think they're quite pretty. We also bought some hen-and-chicks and some bright red begonias.

This morning, once Henry was settled down for a morning nap, I set up the baby monitor and took a slightly cranky Evelyn out to the front garden bed. We dug holes and planted flowers. Henry woke up and joined us, rather unhappily. We watered the flowers. I hope that this activity was somewhat enjoyable for Evelyn. I think she liked it-- it did involve digging! My next project is to mulch the front bed. This is a huge undertaking for me because the bed is easily twenty feet long and pretty wide. It will be worth it though!

Snapshot: This time last year

Around this time last year, we were closing on our first home (and enjoying Thai take-out on the back deck). So many wonderful milestones have passed in this first year: Evelyn began talking (and she hasn't stopped!). We joined several community associations. Evelyn began to draw and paint and play pretend. Friends joined us for play, celebrations, and potlucks. We painted the walls and landscaped the yard, making our house our own. We learned that we were having a second child, and we welcomed that child into the world from the safety and comfort of this house. It has been an eventful year for sure and I can't wait to see this next year in our house will bring.

Snapshot: Evelyn's bedroom-- update!

The curtains (with built in blackout panels) and hardware finally arrived and they're working out really well!

Her first "harvest"

A few months ago, Chris picked up what he thought was a packet of bean seeds at a local store. He and Evelyn planted the seeds in a little garden bed along the back of the house and we joked that maybe a giant bean stalk would sprout-- if the animals and birds didn't get to the seeds first. Evelyn diligently protected the few feet of dirt she'd claimed as her own, telling neighbor kitties not to go in her vegetable patch. She helped us water the seeds every couple of days. These seeds received a lot of water because Evelyn loves to water plants-- even on rainy days.

Well, one day this spring (sometime in May), we noticed little white flowers and the beginnings of pea pods. Sure enough, the plants growing in Evelyn's garden were pea plants. Fast-forward to today and a few pods were fat enough to pick! Evelyn was delighted! She gobbled up the crunchy green peas, marveling at the "snap!" as we broke into the next pod. I've discovered what many parents already know: If you want your child to eat a food, involve her in the process of growing it!

Snapshot: New bookshelf

Evelyn's response? "Wow! Look at that!" She really wants to move some little dolls into the house. I think a certain little girl will be getting a little house and some accessories for her birthday.

A yard of one's own

It's been a little while since I've posted a house-related update. Although my beloved lilacs are no longer blooming, the roses are beginning to unfold and the rhododendrons are a sublime shade of juicy pink. We've all been spending a lot of time outside in the yard. It is so lovely to be able take Evelyn out and let her explore in the morning while she is bounding with energy and Chris and I are trying to shake off the sleepiness that comes from late nights and early mornings. Evelyn and I have also been playing outside in the late afternoons when she wakes from nap.





Evie is so utterly satisfied to collect sticks or hunt for ladybugs that I can't even think of what we would do if we hadn't purchased a house with nice outdoor space. Our lakefront apartment was wonderful when she was still an in-arms babe, but now as a toddler she absolutely loves having a yard of her own-- and bonus points that there is a small patch of woods in the back.

Snapshot: Kitchen and Family Room paint updates

Lennox Tan (Benjamin Moore).

Picnicking Indoors

Our kitchen is out of commission for the day while it undergoes a lovely transformation (just paint, no structural or appliance changes!). I realize that the kitchen is the "heart" of many homes, but our kitchen is actually a large kitchen and family room combination, so it really is the center of our house. Needless to say, I've been planning creative ways to keep Evelyn out of the kitchen. Our main living room currently acts as our play room, so she has been more than happy to spend time in the play room. The fact that I have been giving her hours of one-on-one play time (rather than darting in and out of whatever room we are in to complete a multitude of daily tasks) sweetens the whole deal. She actually hasn't even tried to venture into the kitchen or family room without me.

Today, Evelyn took an early nap-- before she had even eaten lunch. I was thinking that we might need to go out for lunch, which I actually dreaded because I knew it would be a cranky car ride (hungry toddler strapped into a car seat, wondering why we were not eating lunch at home). Lucky for Evelyn, I managed to access a few things in the kitchen and scrounge together an indoor picnic for her. She was thrilled! Evelyn was very proud to hold her plate on her lap and eat almond butter bread and applesauce: "I'm holding my plate on my lap! Almond butter! Yum!" And then she announced, "I having a picnic!"

Lilacs!

When we first toured our house, I was thrilled to see that the property had a number of rose bushes, some climbing hydrangeas, a massive cherry tree and five lilac bushes. Lilacs have long been my favorite-- I love the fragrance, the flowers, the colors. I love gardenias and hydrangeas as well, but lilacs have always had a special place in my heart. I played in and around the large shrubs with my sisters as a little girl and I'll admit that my one "collection" revolves around lilacs. I have the posters from every Rochester Lilac Festival from 1996 through 2009.

This afternoon, I couldn't keep myself from running out into the yard in the light mist of spring rain to snap a few photos of the first blooms. Lilacs don't bloom for very long at all and their branches last for only about three days in a vase of water indoors, so I plan to marvel at their beauty every chance I get.

There's nothing like watching paint dry

We currently have a couple of painters working in our hallway and in Evelyn's bedroom. Aside from making nap time a little tricky, we've enjoyed having them here. They are able to get the project finished much faster than I could (and with cleaner lines!). Evie likes to peek around the corners at the painters from time to time to see what they are doing. She asked me the other day: "what painters doing?" I told her that they were working in the other part of the hallway while the paint on the trim was drying. Her response? "Come see paint drying!"