i have feeling...

Last week, Naomi pooped in the potty for the first time.

Talking about potty training is a slippery slope, I know. I mean, before I became a parent, I would never talk about bowel movements. And even after the first two were born, I was proud about their quick toilet training, but I never really felt the urge (pardon the pun) to really talk about it openly. I didn't really want to be the kind of parent who talked about their kid's poop. It just seemed unnecessary.

But now, on the verge of never having to change another diaper (on my own kid, at least), I'm feeling pressure. (Boy, it's amazing that once you start talking about it, how many puns really go straight back to um, the poop.) Naomi is starting her toilet learning (do they still call it that?) fairly early and before we know it, that whole diapering part of our lives will be over. It's the third kid syndrome, I think. When you're not totally forgetting milestones, you're mourning over the very ones you were thrilled to give up with the first kid.

Our girl is so proud of herself that she's ready to wear some big girl pants (though we're experienced enough to not comply). "I have feeling!" she yells when she's ready to go, so of course we all run around singing the same thing. She's loving being a big girl and when I think about how many diapers we've changed since Samuel was born, I can enjoy her excitement. Though, when the time comes, I will miss that fluffy diapered bottom tremendously.

eating strawberries on a rare warm and sunny day...

wordless wednesday

child photography...

Entranced by all things cute and digital, my kids are in love with the little Casio Exilim camera Boaz gave me last Chanuka and whenever they get the chance Samuel and Talia sneak off for some artistic photo sessions that I discover every few months or so when I regularly upload my photos onto a disc for archival purposes.

(Okay, I actually do not upload photos onto a disc and never have--they're on my hard drive and I'm just tempting fate before I lose the last two years of photos in some sort of computer crash. Also, now that I'm being completely honest, I still have the photos from the day I received the camera still on it, so um, there's nothing regular about my upload schedule. But at least I know what I should be doing.)

So basically, my children are very, very into their feet.
















We have many photos of this particularly sparkly pair of shoes, but this is a good representation of them. Talia named this one, Shoe Likes.



















Real Lime, taken by Samuel, was inspired by the first sunny day all year and we made margaritas (well, Boaz and I did), but did not have any real limes in the house. Samuel liked the way this bottle looked.

Guitar Pat, is a tribute to Boaz's guitar.

Stool Pat, is a study of sunlight and the red kitchen stool that the kids constantly fight over. According to Talia, this photo is a friend of Guitar Pat (see above).



Portraits of the Artists on the Mantle or Picture Guys, by Talia



As I'm typing this out, I see that Tali has gotten a hold of my camera again... I'm sure that means this is only the first installment of child photography.

(preschool) class of 2008--we are kvelling...

Last night Talia, Shrug*, and their friends graduated from preschool.

It was a sweet occasion. The room was decorated with flowers and lilac colored tablecloths and the tables were decorated with photos of the kids and quotes about their school experiences over the years. The teachers stood up and said wonderful, loving things about our kids and it was lovely to be surrounded by friends and family as our kids treated us to a musical performance of the childrens' rendition of the Beatles' "Love, Love, Love." We cried over the cuteness (and um, the something else-ness of the performance. See for yourself). And Tali loved being the center of attention.

The thing that seemed so obvious, though, as we watched the slideshow of these kids and looked at photos of them over the years, is how much they've changed in three years. Yes, yes, that's obvious--years two to five are filled with monumental developments. But from here on out, and now I know this being on #2 going into Kindergarten, these kids just grow so damn quickly. I took a ton of photos last night because Tali was adorable and so Tali at five with her leggings and Shrug (again!), but also because I know that even six months from now, her legs will be longer, her face slimmer and she'll be in third grade before I realize it. And that's all good, but sometimes you want the moment to last a little longer.

As for Tali and Shrug, they are ready for Kindergarten!




*Shrug is a sparkly gift from Tali's Aunt Mari and being that they're inseparable (Tali and Shrug), we no longer treat her like a common noun (a shrug), but more like a member of the family (our Shrug). Also, Shrug has attended enough days of preschool to warrant her own diploma, but being that she doesn't have arms, only sleeves, she'll share Tali's. Look for a later post on the Adventures of Shrug.

cousins...

wordless wednesday

cutting the cord is harder than you think...

Samuel has had a lot of sleepovers in recent months. In fact, now that he is a sleepover pro (i.e., he knows to which friends' houses it is acceptable to bring real pajamas vs. sweats, stuffed animals, and books for his early morning wake-up hour), he can't get enough. Pretty much every playdate and even many conversations end with him asking if he can spend the night at his friends' house, or if they can spend the night at ours.



So last weekend when I watched our friends' kids so that they could get some time out, I brought Samuel with me so that he have a sleepover with his friend. I thought that it'd be a nice way to get some time with him while he was hanging out with friends (which is decidedly cooler than just hanging out with his mom), and we had a really nice time watching movies, playing Nintendo DS, and reading People Magazine (okay, we didn't all do all those activities, but we all had fun). Shortly after I put the kids to bed, our friends came home and I checked in on my sleeping (hopefully) boy before I left.



But here's the thing... No matter how many sleepovers he's had, I still have trouble completey relaxing right before bed time when I usually check on the kids before I turn out my own light. When he's not there, Samuel's room is so empty it seems loud, and while most people think that sleeping in until 7:30 would be a good thing since our boy is usually up and bounding around by 5:45 and even if he doesn't mean to wake everyone up, he does, I miss him. Without him, the house feels peaceful and quiet for exactly three minutes and then this discomfort sets in. We all feel it. Even Talia asked, "When is Samuel coming back? I have nobody to fight with. I miss him!"



Seriously, would you send your child to sleepovers if he looked like this?






I guess this is what being a mother is about. I would never hold him back because it bothered me, but I don't have to love every second of it. He's going to sleepaway camp for the first time this summer and to be honest, I know it's going to be harder on me than it will be on him. I think I'd better set up some more sleepovers very soon. I'm going to need some training...

news update: obama has been stolen!

I went out to lunch with my friend Josh today and as we were walking to the car, I was telling him about Obama the Tape Measure (he is a patient friend) and I noticed that the Obama sign in front of our house had been stolen--ripped from the sign post. Unbelievable...

obama in the house...

Our family has been somewhat active with Decision 2008 and it's no secret that everyone in our house is now behind Barack Obama. (Samuel wanted John Edwards before he dropped out, but I think it's safe to say he's strongly endorsing Obama now.) We have our Obama sign on our front lawn and when we drive by other houses with Obama signs, Talia says, "Oh, look! Friends!" She's been known to wear her Obama pin to school and when you ask Naomi who she'd like to vote for, she smiles and says "Obama." (Fine, she gets a lot of attention for that, so really, it doesn't take a rocket scientist, but you the point.)

So, I wasn't really surprised when her favorite bear, a freebie from Ikea named Aaron Bear (after one of her friends from school), was renamed Aaron Obama Bear. However, yesterday she started screaming for her "Obama!" I ran after Aaron Obama Bear to make that pre-2 year old shrieking stop and when I handed it to her, she looked at me as condescendingly as possible for an almost two year old and said, "NO! MY OBAMA!"

Since I had no idea what she was talking about, I gave up and got her coat on to start our rounds of afternoon kid pick-ups. As we headed out the door, she squealed and then lunged for Boaz's heavy yellow tape measure. "My Obama!" she yelled happily and hugged it to her chest.

Huh?

Anyway, she slept with her Obama last night (please don't spread the word--we don't want a scandal on our hands) and now it's at daycare with her. The mysteries of toddlers are abundant.

Here is Naomi with her Obama... Please note the wet weather and the rainboots because it is still wet and rainy and cold here in Seattle on May 14th, a date in mid spring.

a letter to winter

Dear Winter,

I know that you've been getting a lot of hate mail lately, and that's why I've hesitated to write you. I know it's hard to be so unpopular and I got suckered into keeping my opinion to myself.

But enough is enough. Getting into the car this morning, Samuel shivered in his layers of clothing and said, "Doesn't Spring come after Winter?" Isn't it really almost summer?

And yes, Winter... It's getting close to summer. What the hell are you still doing here???!!!

It was embarrassing when you snowed on Passover, the holiday where we highlight the symbols of SPRING, and then by the second seder, when you snowed again, on April 21st mind you, I was just embarrassed for you. And angry. Because not only did you pretty much ruin the spring holiday, the chance to wear spring clothes, and pretty much all hope for warm weather, but you KILLED my rununculus that had been doing so well! You're a fickle and cruel season and I'm through with you.

So, for about a month you'd go away for a day or two, then come back with all your drizzle, but yesterday I'd had enough. It was Mother's Day... Couldn't you at least treat your own Mother Nature with some of the respect she deserves? Why are you so angry and bitter? Repressing others (I'm trying, Spring!)will not solve your own issues of insecurity. Yesterday, on Mother's Day, which was MAY 11, we sat at Samuel's baseball game in a blustery 46 degrees. At one point when it started raining again, most of the parents went into their cars where we could not watch the game very well and because of you, my son is angry with me for missing his best play of the season. And it's your fault, you cold freak of nature.

So, that's it, Winter. Send in Spring. Take a break. Give this California girl some sun. I'm through with you. Really. I don't want to hear from you again until at least next year.

Not yours at all,
Amy

naomi sings the afg's!

This is a proud moment for us.

Not only is our daughter able to sing most of the ABCs (or AFGs--her version) and she is not yet even two years old, but... gasp... We have managed, for the first time, to catch the scene on video and SHE. IS. OUR. THIRD. CHILD!!!