It's Birthday Week

Happy Birthday to You!

Anna, you are turning two years old on Friday. We enjoyed the first of many birthday celebrations on Sunday. You had a REAL birthday party, complete with balloons, party favors, cupcakes, candles, friends, presents, food, and swimming at the pool. You actually understood what it meant to have a party this year - you were excited to swim, eat cupcakes, open presents, and see your friends. You know how old you are going to be. You've been talking about it all week, referring at random to your "birthday coming up." You helped make the devil's food cupcakes with cream cheese frosting on Saturday; your favorite part of the process was, of course, scooping the flour, stirring it around, and watching it fall to the floor as you clapped the excess off your hands.

Flour, flour everywhere.

I felt both excited and nervous on the day of your party. I even had butterflies in my stomach as I wondered if you and your friends would have fun. Storms were predicted the day of your party, which had us a little worried that we might be stuck inside, staring at the pool we want to swim in. I couldn't help but laugh at myself as I put the finishing touches on your cupcakes. If I felt like this for your second birthday party, how might I feel to one day anticipate your wedding?

Hail and tornados passed through on the day of the party.

The storms passed just in time. You were able to swim and splash and play, and when a gentle rain fell, you stayed in the pool with Daddy. At first it seemed you were a unsure about all these friends gathered at the pool, especially with nobody else there (the storms scared everyone away). We had the entire pool to ourselves!

In the pool with Daddy.

Spencer getting ready for a basket.

My favorite picture of cousin Allison.

The hard rain came and signaled dinner time. As you sat eating your dinner of stromboli, blueberries, pasta salad, and pretzels, your excitement grew, especially when I announced that cupcakes were coming up next. I'm not sure you ate much of anything, though, as you were too distracted by all that was going on around you. You were happy to devour a "humongous" bowl of oatmeal and yogurt for a bedtime snack, though.

"After dinner choc"

Cute, cute Cassidy. Sadly, I didn't get a good shot of Harper or Aidan.

Then came presents. You knew exactly what to do. And, you said "thank you" with each one. You opened puzzles of all kinds, a fairy doll, little bunnies, a stacking toy, crayons, and a birthday cake. The balloons were a hit, too (for you and the rest of the bunch).

Opening puzzles with Daddy.

We arrived home just in time for your bath. You were a very tired and happy almost-two-year-old glowing from a beautiful afternoon. We read stories, ate a snack, rocked and talked, remembering, giving thanks, and anticipating more birthday fun all week long.

A birthday rainbow in our own backyard.

Busy Hands

Anna and I made homemade finger paints yesterday. We were outside creating works of art with our fingers by 8:30am. Anna enjoyed it for a little while - it didn't take long before she was asking me to wash hands. This homemade stuff is pretty goopy and gross, but it works well on finger paint paper, and it's completely non-toxic if, like Anna, your toddler is prone to putting her hands in her mouth.

Recipe:

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup of sugar

2 cups cold water

food coloring

Mix cornstarch and sugar together in a bowl. Stir in the water and combine until smooth. Put the mixture in a pot on the stove over medium heat and heat for about five minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns gel-like. Remove from heat, divide among separate bowls, and add food coloring of your choice.

Squeezing it is almost as fun as painting with it.

Admiring her work.

In the afternoon we shelled peas that we picked up with our CSA share this week. Anna LOVED this activity, which is so ironic given that she despises peas. There aren't too many foods she loathes. Peas are on that list. In our nightly prayer, she even says "no peas" when we say "...unite in peace." I guess she's thinking that we're talking about the enemy vegetable.

Interestingly, Anna did try a pea or two while we were shelling. She seemed genuinely interested, like she really wanted to like them. She loves beans of all kinds, so it seems the texture wouldn't be an issue. But, the second pea made her gag and make a sound so horrible that I actually thought she was going to vomit! Fortunately, I didn't see any allergic reactions; she broke out in hives a number of times after eating peas when she was younger, when she seemed to like them.

I think her repulsion now may be compounded by the fact that we had to give her peas during a challenge test in the allergist's office, twice. Both times she knew we had an agenda, and she wanted nothing to do with it. Oh well...our CSA peas will be lovingly shelled by Anna and eaten by Blake and me as a side dish I guess.

Love the green in her fingernails!

She loved the entire process, especially digging her hands into the pile of peas.

Not even half of them!

The view from our kitchen window...busy hands in the sand while I made dinner.

Papa, Mo, and the Animals

Papa and Mo Mox visited us this week, and Anna couldn't have been happier. Plans changed at the last minute from swimming and strawberry picking to animal-centered activities, which bothered her only until she realized she was going to be feeding animals. While Papa and Daddy golfed on Wednesday afternoon, Mo met Anna and me at Domino's Petting Farm. You can see by the look on Anna's face that she had an excellent time feeding the goats, petting the bunnies, and hay-riding behind the tractor.

Moments after the goat ate her carrot.

Enticing.

I couldn't decide which one of these to post...they were both just so cute.

We don't have too many of these shots (Anna and me).

In the evening we played outside, drank a few beers, and watched Anna as she tried to maneuver around in her new life jacket that Mo bought for her. Papa and Anna read Green Eggs and Ham before bed, of course (and despite numerous attempts, I failed to take a decent picture of them).

Trying it on.

Thursday morning we walked around the pond and fed the duckies. Usually we see one mama and her three, now grown, babies, but oodles of ducks came out of the woodwork when the bread started falling.

I love this pic with the duck's little head darting into the shot. If only Papa's head was in the shot.

Books We Love, June 2010

I usually post two books each month, because there are so many books we love, but I think this book deserves its own post for June. We've been reading Green Eggs and Ham ALL. THE. TIME. It's almost impossible to get Anna to read anything else. I don't know what Anna loves about this book, but she does love it. I think she might like my animation; with all the repetition, it requires some creative recitation! I hear her reciting parts of it, too, when she's trying to get to sleep at night. As much as I tire of the story, it's hard to say know when she asks for "Green Egg Ham," skipping the plural as well as the "and" in her request.

More About Anna

While it was "one of those days" where most of my requests were met with "No" and every transition brought Anna to tears, there were many moments when I found myself smiling, feeling full, and in awe of Anna. I suppose this is typical for parents of toddlers - witnessing extremes of emotion from their kids and feeling similar extremes themselves.

This afternoon, after a much-needed long nap, Anna and I took a bike ride and stopped at the park. We were sweating when we arrived home, so of course, we settled into our chairs in the shade and sucked down orange popsicles. After cooling off, Anna played happily by herself in her sand/water table (thank you Papa and Mo J!) for the second time today. The sand seems to be the mesmerizing factor. I just filled it this morning, and was surprised to discovery that I was able to get some of our weekly menu and grocery list completed while she played. This afternoon I even read a few pages in my book before cooking dinner.

I said "smile." This is what I got!

The view, if only for a few minutes.

Anna hasn't been a frequent independent player so far. If I'm in the kitchen, she really wants to be there to help out. Today, though, when we came inside to cook, she rushed over to her books, climbed up on the couch, and sat quietly for, what seemed like ages, "reading" to herself. Blake even snuck in the door without her hearing him. The two of us smiled at each other and watched, feeling so lucky to sneak these peaceful peeks into her world. These are some of my favorite moments - watching Anna when she doesn't know we're there.

And, finally...tonight Anna was cracking herself (and us) up with a game that we've been playing. The other day I was pretending to take blueberries out of the freezer while we were playing outside. She found this a bit puzzling at first, but quickly started naming all of the things that we might find in the refrigerator when I asked what else was inside. Tonight she found stop signs, tables, shovels, and even Daddy in the fridge. Her laughter was deep and infectious. And, she couldn't stop because she knew she was making us laugh.

I turned on "Mama Mia" while Anna and Blake were reading, and this was her reaction!

Father's Day Weekend, 2010

Enjoying pre-dinner drinks in Ann Arbor on Saturday

Favorite things on this very special Father's Day weekend:

Hot, sunny weather

Hours spent outside

Cooking dinner together, because Daddy came home from work early

Eight hours of sleep in a row

An energizing Saturday morning run

A leisurely bike ride for Daddy and Anna

A round of golf for Daddy

A new climber

Anna "helping" to wrap Daddy's presents and "signing" the card

A surprise date night (thank you, Mo D)

Time spent as a couple, remembering, dreaming, singing, and smiling

Phenomenal food and interesting drinks

The smells and sounds of Main Street in summer time

Not sleeping...because we were having too much fun

A lazy Sunday morning at home outside

Feelings of gratitude for the amazing dads in our lives

Calls to the Papas to say "Happy Bother's Day!"

An afternoon nap for the whole family

"Playing" at the golf course together

Anna's first ride on a golf cart

Juicy burgers on the grill

Another restful night of sleep

And, most importantly...

A very happy Daddy.

At the Heidelberg...our old hang out, before we were too old for this!

What to drink next??

Sunday morning play time.

Eating pretzels and waiting for her turn.

Such a cute picture...too bad it's overexposed!!

Christmas Pizza

If you're not sure what to do with the plethora of green veggies you have from your CSA in the early summer months, make a pizza!

We make homemade pizza a lot; it's a great way to incorporate vegetables into Anna's diet, and it's just plain good. This one included the requisite pizza sauce and cheese, AND it included garlic scapes, green onions, asparagus, spinach and a variety of spicy greens all sauteed together. Oh, and I added little fresh green pepper (the only thing not from the farm). It's colors reminded me of Christmas. With a couple of side salads, we made a good dent in our weekly share.

Surprise!

We kicked off Father's Day weekend with a surprise lunch for Papa Mox yesterday. Thanks to Mo, he didn't know Anna and I were meeting them in Lansing. It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday, mostly because (I think, I hope) it might have made Papa's day. It definitely made ours.

Stealing a kiss!

Papa opening presents.

Custom hand-stamped "I love Grandpa" golf ball marker (courtesy Etsy!).

More kisses.

My favorite...A very sweet moment captured.

Happy Friday

These pics just make me smile. Anna loves to take a turn using the blow dryer these days. She "dries her bangs." You can imagine what it does to her very curly hair!

I think she looks a bit like one of those runway models with crazy hair.

Singing

Speaking of practice, Anna has been practicing her singing A LOT lately. I hear her soft, sweet voice reciting lyrics in the car, while playing, and of course, while trying to sleep. I captured some of her rendition of The Itsy Bitsy Spider on video today, although it's nearly impossible to tape her these days. She wants to hold the camera and see herself the entire time. Please excuse the poor camera work...you'll have to turn your computer on its side for the last half of the video!

Practice Makes Improvement

Practice, practice, practice. It's a theme in my life right now. Anna is practicing her ABC's, counting, going potty, climbing, playing with other kids, drawing pictures, and putting puzzles together every day. And, just like Daddy and Mommy, she gets flustered when she doesn't do something just right the first time. Since I can remember, I've been telling Anna, "Practice makes improvement. It takes time to learn new things." It's our mantra these days, one that I need to hear maybe more than she does after years of hearing "practice makes perfect." We all no there's no such thing as perfect.

This weekend I had the opportunity to practice a bit with our new lens, a Nikkor 50MM f/1.8D, at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Although there weren't many blooms around, they did have an unbelievable children's garden, complete with raised dirt beds for digging, blocks for building, and flowers for planting, which Anna dove into. I don't really know what I'm doing with the camera, I need to read some, and I still need to take a photography class soon; nonetheless, many of the pictures turned out alright. The nice thing about digital photography is that you can delete the ones that don't.

This picture (above) gives you a glimpse of our lives over the last week or so. We're in the midst of a rough stretch of sleep, probably due to many factors, and definitely made worse by developmental changes that accompany this wonderful and difficult age. Anna, Daddy and I are being given many opportunities to practice patience, deep breathing, and kindness. I really wish there were a practice round for this, though. I'm referring to parenting, of course. With kids, our practice, and hence, mistake-making, has a little more impact than it does with the pictures we take. We can't delete something we said or did. But, we can learn from our mistakes. An old coaching mantra that I don't repeat enough these days is, "There is no failure, only learning." I know my skills will improve over time, and I'll learn along the way. I just have to trust that Anna, like my photos, will "turn out" alright (meaning relatively happy, peaceful, and fulfilled), probably in spite of anything Blake or I do or don't do. Anna, we love you so much. I guess that's one thing we don't need to practice.

Hiding inside a tent made of straw.

Digging...

...and scooping.

Music in the woods.

Anna almost went down the tube slide.

Brilliant color!