Posted May 1, 2012 at 11:53am
thanks and praise
Guess who was the busiest body in our kitchen this thanksgiving… We had such a nice holiday, and in the wake of the last two crazy months, this week was full of things to be thankful for. I’m especially grateful for friends who go to great lengths to help us feel at home, healthy appetites, big and small, a dishwasher to shoulder the burden of our messes, and masterpiece theater to entertain us through our food-induced comas. Here’s are a few snapshots from our holiday, I dare say it was sidesplittingly[1] satisfying.
[1] I spent a good five minutes marveling at this word. Is it too good to be true?
Posted November 23, 2011 at 5:52pm
Shadow Puppets
Late one night last week, while trying to squeeze just a few more minutes into his day, Oliver stumbled upon the magic of shadow puppets, proving again, a baby’s mind is a wonderful curious thing. And I no longer felt frustrated that is was nearly 11:30 at night.
Oliver Picks a Pumpkin
We’re doing our best to settle into some sort of routine around here; or rather, we’re waiting for the routine to present itself. But I could certainly make a case for today being a template for Sunday routines[1]. After beating the neighbors to our favorite coffee spot, we made our way over to the Grant Park Farmers’ Market in search of butternut squash, fresh bread and a pint-sized pumpkin.
I’ve wanted to take Oliver to a pumpkin patch since landing in Atlanta. But unsure of how much he’d get from such an adventure, it kept getting pushed back while our days filled up with move-related nonsense. In the meantime, I figured a trip to the farmers’ market was the perfect way to gauge his interest in the pumpkin patch scene[2], and, I was right.
As it turns out Oliver doesn’t like pumpkins at all; he loves them. He loves sitting on them, and pointing at them, sharing them with other kids, and trying to carry pumpkins half his size. The only thing he doesn’t love about pumpkins is how they barely budge when he tries to pick them up. He’s so desperate to hold them and those stubborn buggers just won’t budge. I think it may be his first encounter with unrequited love.
I kept trying to tell him it was for the best, he’s got the world to see, and he’s too young for a relationship with so much baggage, but woe is my son being dragged away from a gorgeous, warty 15-pound pumpkin. As you might expect, the only way to distract him from his broken heart was to point out the pretty little girl Irena, who was eyeing the assortment of mini pumpkins he’d collected.
And that my friends, is the story of our Sunday afternoon or how Oliver made it home happily, with four little pumpkins in his arms.
[1] Only major edits, if I may, would be the additions of the D.O.D., The New York Times, and a nap of any sort.
[2] Bonus, the park is swarming with kids. Some of which put on a song and dance about the joys of eating organic foods. I’m not joking.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered…
Well folks, it is with much relief that we can announce, our stuff has arrived and we can not get on in the business of making our home in Atlanta. Everything was supposed to show up last Tuesday, then Thursday, but as it turned out that thing they say about the third time proved true and our stuff rolled in Saturday morning[1]. At first glance you can’t help but wonder, where the bl**p did all this stuff come from? But then you follow us around for the day and watch as we pick up a new hard drive and new cookbook and a new (toddler sized) jean jacket, and the wondering is laid to rest. We are stuff magnets.
But on second thought, its not nearly as bad as it looks. Once you start pilfering through the 200 or so boxes that fill the apartment you realize the secret of professional movers is simply to pack each box with as much paper imaginable to the third power, plus three, with a little extra thrown in at the end just for luck[2]. Aside from everything arriving safe and sound, the benefit of having our new place covered in packing supplies is that it transforms the space into a heavenly sort of playground for kidOH[3].
Now, with almost one week behind us in the new place, we’re down to maybe 40 boxes and its almost starting to feel a little bit homey[4]. Who am I kidding, we’re used to living amongst the chaos. Good thing too, because the unpacking machine is running out of gas. I’m much more interested in making use of our spacious new kitchen, daydreaming about uniform spice jars with cute little labels, or sketching out plans to turn these boxes into a wee-sized cardboard village. I’ll post some pictures as soon as we get a few more boxes cleared away and a few pictures on the walls.
(and just like that, naptime is over…)
[1] Interestingly enough, this is the third time I’ve tried to post this update. I hope you find it somewhat charming.
[2] (imaginable paper)3 + 3) + x
[3] And that’s an incredible blessing because who knows which box his toys are in…
[4] That is of course when I’m not freaked out by how big the apartment is. It just might be a full three times bigger than our Brooklyn apartment.
