blizzard views

it's going to be a white christmas after all.

thursday love: cure-all

"do you see his house?"

it was ten o'clock at night.
we were driving through the inner harbor,
past the twinkling, light-lined
home-away-from-home of
santa claus.

let's go see him!

"papa and i will take you soon."

now, mama. i wanna go see him.

"we can't baby. he's sleeping."

he wants to wake up.

"no. he is tired. his belly hurts from eating too many cookies."

we'll just give him a big hug. then he'll feel better.

ho, ho, ho views

yes.
babychop believes.
he believes big time.
and so do we.

views on hard lessons learned

mama...it is a toy. see?

how about if i look super cute.
like this.
then will you let me play with it?

i don't WANT to put it on the tree!!!!

i know it's pure torture,
but ornaments are not toys, sweet boy. they are to look at.
sigh...



ornament casualties to date: 4

weekend views

pub views aka: girls night out.

bertha's mussels restaurant. fell's point, md.

are ya feelin' it yet?

if you aren't feeling the holiday spirit
after watching this,
then you are hopeless.

check out PS22's blog and follow them here.

if you need a little extra help,
check out these shiny little people
here, and here.

tree-cutting views

gaver farm. mt. airy, maryland.

evening views

longwood gardens. kennet square, pennsylvania.

pizza by elizabeths. greenville, delaware.

cousin z's journal entry.

BFAM* views

*liam and izzy. brothers-from-another-mother.

check out other december views here, here, and here.

monumental view

papa and babychop take in the music onstage.


the original washington monument.


one world cafe, post monument lighting

the sound of silence

everyone who knows me is aware that
i love to talk.
i am a chatty person.
socializing is part of what makes me tick.
so i am going to tell you now,
i am not sure i can do it.
i'm going to attempt the december views challenge.

photos only.
that's it.
a glimpse into my life
through the next month
without words.

stop laughing.

all is bright

granddad brought these beauties to our thanksgiving celebration.
they were in a box full of ornaments from my husband's childhood.

starting this year,
we'll begin the tradition of
waking up in our own house
on christmas morning.

for the first time as a couple
and the first time as parents,
we are also getting a tree for the holiday.

it has been many years since i have felt the
magic of christmas.
maybe it's because our sweet boy lights up
when we speak of santa claus.
maybe it's the countless times we have sung
frosty the snowman
and rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
and jingle bells
and silent night
and dona nobis pacem
in an effort to pass down the
tradition of holiday caroling.

something about the music
and the crisp air
and twinkly lights...
it all tugs a little on my heart
and makes me a little nostalgic
for the christmases of my youth.

so, the countdown begins tomorrow.
the anticipation of santa coming,
cookies to be baked,
stories to be told,
presents to be given.

the ornaments have to be unpacked.
the lights checked.
furniture moved for proper staging.

it's gonna be good, people.
so good.


handed down from many christmases past,
three generations share the same ornaments.





sidenote: nablopomo ends today, too.
it has been a challenge posting everyday for a month.
30 posts in 30 days!
it helped me shake off the dust that had started
to gather here in this space!

it is nice to be back.

the party's over

see bigger

tomorrow?
christmas shopping.

god help me.

time will tell

i want ha-nee! liam sobbed as we drove away.
we said goodbye in the restaurant parking lot
after a full day of jigsaw puzzles, bocci ball
and longwood gardens' christmas lights.
H looked worried as she buckled herself into her family's car.
she could hear her baby cousin crying.

he will follow her anywhere.
will listen to anything she has to say.
he worships the ground she walks on.
and the feeling is mutual.

it's been this way ever since he entered the picture.
when he was born, she couldn't wait to meet him.
whose going to drive me to baltimore to meet my cousin?
she demanded until she finally made the trip
with both parents and her sister
she would've taken a bus if given permission.

when she is around, liam is in heaven.
hopefully this will continue as they grow older.

we'll see.


christmas 2007


spring 2008


italy, may 2008


summer 2009


summer 2009



summer 2009


H and liam this past thanksgiving

*clink*

your family is perfect, she said.

it was thanksgiving.
my friend, who lives too far away,
and i were chatting on the phone.

whose family are you talking about? i asked.

you always get together, and go places,
and you all seem to really get along, she added.

this made me smile.
of course, my family IS perfect.
for me.

but we are just like everyone else.
we definitely have our issues,
we all have our baggage,
and annoyances,
and ican'tbelievehesaidthat moments.
(right?)


families are what make us tick.
our families have our back. unconditionally. period.

now don't get me wrong.
i come from the type of upbringing
i have learned, over the years
that family is by choice.
you find your family as you find your way through life.
that is what worked for me...self-preservation, maybe.
but that, in detail, is a whole 'notha post.

i have my peeps.
(some chosen and some by birth.)
and they are my family.
what they say matters.
politics, religion, music, food, child-rearing, societal views.
i listen to them. we don't always agree.
but, unconditionally, i love them.
period.

there are plenty of folks driving back from the holiday tonight
thinking that their
families are crazy.
and loud.
and bossy.
and over-the-top.
and embarrassing.
and protective.
and tight-knit.
and loving.
and beautiful.

i wouldn't trade mine for anything.

no.
really.



my brother, tom, has a toast that he likes to say:

here's to cheating, stealing, and lying.
cheat only death.
steal only the heart of the one that you love.
and lie only for family.

cheers.

full of thanks

and this, my friends, is the main reason why.


papa, liam, and izzy on the front porch.

i love my family.
and my extended family.
i am truly the luckiester girl alive.

what are you thankful for?

chicken noodle shadows

look mama! stripes on my hand!"
i looked over and saw the lines
made by the window shade hanging next to his car seat.
he slowly moved his hands around in the air,
experimenting with this visual.
then he closed his fingers quickly, making a fist.
"i caught them!"
i asked him what he was going to do with them.
"eat them!"
and he gobbled them up.

curious, i asked what shadows taste like.

"soup."

who knew?


liam and paul. thanksgiving 2008.

pajamarama

5 month old babychop

today was a
stay-in-our-jammies-all-day
kind of day.
it was a lovely day of
people spontaneously taking me up on my past offers of
"just come by and visit anytime!"

such a lazy but busy day.
no photos taken
what!!!???
so i am sharing some old-goodies.

goodnight.
sleep tight.


10 month babychop

movie monday

this pretty much sums up
the condition of my brain after
a very full, lovely day today.



i am so exhausted, i can barely type.
going to go curl up with my boys and zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

if they never play on it again

it will still be the best five dollars i ever spent.


photos are of liam and his brother-from-another-mother, izzy.
to see them individually, click on the mosaic.

apology

sometimes, when i hear the news,
or read the paper,
or hear how mean people
can be to one another, i wonder
what kind of world we have brought our boy into.

i see how things have changed in my lifetime
and can only imagine what this world will be like
when he is my age.

nothing too profound, my thinking.
we all speculate about the future.
and how effed up it could be
if we don't get our act together.

peace.
it's a sweet idea(listic).

but if we don't strive towards it,
all the money and things the
greedy accumulate won't mean much.

peace.
i hope that our babies have a bright future
and that they'll make a difference.
i can't help but feel that my boy is going to do just that.