walking with Emmit is never a straight forward process

Emmit loves to clean, he loves to ask repetitive questions about everything, he loves to talk talk talk and he loves his three new pair of pj pants I made him so much that he has a hard time taking them off and often ends up wearing them all day! Emmit now has a sticker chart (yes, I have stooped to this level) and his three tasks are to have "gentle and helping hands", "listening ears" and "keep his fussies in his pockets". He earned his first ten stickers yesterday and he gets to pick an activity to do as a family or one on one with Dennis or I. He picked to take the car to the carwash and to hang out with Dennis at his office!

Who does he look like???

Everyone seems to have a lot of opinions about who Asher looks like. I am curious as to what you all think. Emmit and Papa headed back to Rochester to go to the Strong Children's Museum again with some friends so Asher and I are enjoying a very special day together. We went out for lunch and Asher kept dancing do the music and insisted that I do the same. "Dah Dah" he kept telling me. Asher now eats as much or more then Emmit. Emmit has entered the stage of negotiations and Dennis and I are quickly reading up on and learning everything we can on how to respond. We are off to NYC next week and starting to get really excited. Asher is probably tearing up something of great importance or eating it as I type so I better go but he continues to be full of happiness, giggles and great wet affections

Emmit and his beloved friend Greta

if feels like summer

The plastic is off the windows, the fans are coming down from the attic tonight, it is now well into the 80's, we bought our first box of Popsicles of the season, we are outside all day long except for naps, the kids are completely filthy and exhausted at the end of the day and we are all very happy. Emmit and Asher wore their matching Hawaiian outfits from Aunt Linda and Uncle Al today and got lots of compliments!

we are expecting 80's today

So Asher slept from 5:30pm-5:30am then nursed and went back to sleep for another hour or at least wass quiet enough that I fell back asleep! Dennis is now taking the boys on Monday and Wednesdays for the first half of the day so I can have somet time to myself. Usually Emmit is in school but today is a holiday so they are all at the zoo with some friends. This sleeping through the night thing feels like huge progress and Asher has been so challenging in this area. They are so cute going to bed together and it is hard not to eavesdrop at the door both as they are drifting off and in the morning while we are trying to sleep in a bit. "Mama" continues to be my favorite thing out of Asher's mouth oh that and his incredibly sloppy mouth to mouth kisses. I have a pile of napkins all cut out and ready to be sewn so I will sign off and enjoy my creative peace and quiet time. Dinner is in the crockpot and I am feeling rather domestic as I listen to Lucinda Williams.

now regularly losing track of what day it is

Ah you really know it is summer when you have no clue what day of the week it is on a regular basis. The weather is still very tempermental but it just feels like the NW. The "perfect" house just went up for sale on our beloved street that we live on and both Dennis and I looked at it and had the talk and it feels like a weird relief. Great to find a house that we could love and yet not feel tempted. ASHER SAID MAMA TODAY. Which was the greatest thing ever. His top teeth also finally came in and so this most recent horrific episode of teething is over. We had a great brunch with friends this morning and a long walk in the damp overcast morning in search of garage sales. Emmit found the only great find which was a 20 year old Fisher Price doctor kit. He saved up his money months ago and bought a doc. kit at the toy store but it fell apart so quickly and he was saving up for a better one. This one seems to have been loved a lot and is in great shape with all the original pieces for $1!!!! Dennis got away for a little respite solo trip this weekend but came home with a cold. Our big task for the coming week is to start printing two plus years worth of digital photos. Poor Asher hardly has a printed picture and absolutely nothing in his baby book. Oh and organizing and sorting through every box of things we have stashed away in the attic.....

Having fun!

Mothers Day at Letchworth State Park

End of the Semester for Papa

Emmit sure likes his pears. Jesica made a wonderful pasta with a peanut sauce, chicken, and pears (along with a jalapeno/cilantro garnish) Emmit just kept eating the pears. He is getting so big and everyday his intelligence and insights never cease to amaze me. Asher has been teething, so Jesica has not been getting very good night sleep. Asher and I went grocery shopping today and he went to sleep on my back while I was washing dishes. Asher has the best smile! Next week Emmit is going in for a scan of his ear, which means he will have to be put to sleep. He also will be going to the dentist to get a cavity filled.Poor little puppy.
The end of the semester is almost here. I have to write an end of the year report and I am done with teaching. I will be working on some video works/photographs and doing lots of professional development for this summer. While I am not going in to school, summer is always the time to reorganize, prep, make work, and strategize for the next years grind. I am looking forward to spending more time with the family and having lots of adventures including New York City and camping in the Adirondacks and Alegany. I am excited to show the family Manhattan. While I have only spent perhaps a total of a month in Manhattan, it has always been a good adventure. We are also looking forward to the wedding in Brooklyn and getting to know family and the geography better. Our friend Carl (Greta's dad) is having an opening at the Burchfield Penney this Friday for his video installation entitled "Nightlight." I was fortunate to give him a hand with the installation and from what I saw, it is going to be a great show! Congrats to Carl!

our week so far

It has been a good week so far with temps in the 70's and getting closer and closer to 80! Tomorrow begins summer vacation officially for Dennis and we have a long list of fun things planned for the summer. I just made my meal for the week: noodles with peanut sauce, chicken and pears. I am quite pleased with it. Two other families and us do a meal swap where each family makes a triple recipe once a week and we pick up our meals and take them home to eat. We have been doing this since November and it is so so so much fun and makes planning meals so much more fun when you don't have to even think about two of the nights plus it has made the temptation of eating out a lot less. We all live within half of a block of each other so it is very convenient and it has gotten all of our kids to be much more adventerous in their eating since they get excited thinking they are eating the same thing as their friends. My thoughts are also often on Shui and how it was a year ago that she got sick and we will do something special to celebrate her passing on the summer solstice this year and every year. She is everywhere in our home and in our hearts and so much a part of who each of us is. The boys are waking so off to deliver the meals and enjoy the afternoon outside!

International Food Festival on Grant & Lafayette

It wasn't very big but it was fun to visit Buffalo's most diverse neighborhood and watch some dancing and hear a great high school band play. Emmit was absolutely riveted watching them play. He is destined to be a musician and is so focused on each of the instruments and how they are played. We had our first BBQ of the season and the boys gave us a real treat this morning and entertained each other until after 7 a.m. Emmit recited his favorite Curious George stories and they sang together. The only mishap of the day was when we found Asher with his hands in the toilet (unflushed of course) and Emmit standing there laughing/egging him on. I guess that is what they are supposed to do.

Spring Don't You Dare Think Of Leaving

As I type, Asher and Emmit are playing at my feet with their basket of animals. We are all rested from our afternoon naps and it is in the 60's outside and heading towards 70! Dennis's last day of teaching for the school year was yesterday and now he is just finishing up last little things before he is all ours for 4 months of summer vacation!!!! Today was our Waldorf Parent/Toddler Playgroup's (aka The Morning Star Class) May Day Celebration. We also got a peek at our neighbors birdnest while Mama Bird was off gathering some worms. I am making new skirts like crazy and tomorrow we light up the BBQ for the first time this spring. The forecast is for sun for as far as I can see and that is how I like it!

it better be in the 70's this weekend....

oh what is with this weather that still requires coats and hats? Tuesday playgroup meets again and it is such a wonderful group that we love to spend time with. Just learned that Emmit will likely have to have hernia surgery along with another surgery on his ear so I am a bit bummed but also feel so lucky that it isn't something more serious. Must run!

it is slowly getting warmer outside

Our weekend: more from the camera phone

We had a great weekend outside and even tried setting up our new tent in our apartment. It was a very tight squeeze and the kids awoke to find their silly parents sleeping in the tent in the living room. Emmit helped me sew another skirt and Asher tried on the tutu I bought when I was pregnant with Emmit. I was in the progress of mailing it to Claire for the little bambina in her belly but Emmit and Asher quickly informed me that they wear tutus too and have been doing so ever since to prove their point. Sorry Claire's baby! Another great "we love our Papa" photo that looks quite familiar.