a cool yule atcha'

are we going to lie to our boy
and tell him there is a santa?
asked my husband.

of course we are.
i answered, rolling my eyes, not believing he would even hesitate.
i mean, c'mon. isn't this one of the reasons to have a child?

the tree is trimmed and
santa has visited.
stockings are stuffed.
lists are made for the morning
so we don't forget to take what we need
for the trek to visit family near and far.

babychop is asleep.
unaware of the goodies that he will discover in the morning.
snuggled under our fuzzy blanket
he has no idea that tomorrow is going to be about
love and family and tradition and food and more love.

i hope you are all full of love this winter.
i hope your hearts are full of peace and empty of fear.

merry christmas.
happy hannukah.
joy-filled kwanzaa.
warm and bright solstice.


liam pic of the week 21/52: jam session with millie
at our family christmas party.

here and now

liam pic of the week 20/52: liam and papa share some breakfast.

my boys groove out in their own world
of snuggly, crunchy goodness
eating frosted shredded wheat
on a winter morning.

these small moments
fill my day
with thankfulness.

let the laundry pile up.
let the floor be covered with toys.
the to-do list? it'll be there later.
all of it. let it go and be still
so arms can be free to wrap around
the giggling child
who is splashing both hands in the cereal bowl.

enough

10/52: photo saved from my fried external hard-drive.

after ten weeks of
recovering photos,
backing up hard-drives,
sorting and editing,
consulting geniuses,
nursing liam through
a twelve day bout of rotavirus,
and just plain not sleeping,
i am back on track.

after not even wanting to pick up my camera
due to the lack of uploading options,
i am ready to start posting
babychop's picture of the week again.

okay, okay. i am a bit late this week.
but i am back.

and that has to be good enough.

i don't know how all the other mamas do it.
you know who you are:
the mamas who blog and craft and photograph
and knit and write and take classes
and work outside-of-the-house and
hell
while we're at it,
brush their teeth before noon
and even apply lipstick
and wear clothing that doesn't have
snot
oatmeal
yogurt
banana
smeared on it.

i have wanted to blog.
i've wanted to write about the visits to my
old school and my sweet shorties.
i have been searching to find the words to describe
this almost frantic need to meaningfully connect to community.
for myself and for my family.
and then i find myself at the other end of the spectrum;
completely content spending the afternoon
being still with my boy.


18/52: thanksgiving at bethany beach, delaware.

to see all of liam's picture- of-the-week entries, click here.