dress up

even though spring feels far away here in the Pac NW, i got out my spring clothes a couple of weeks ago. they were sitting on my floor for a few days before i found the time to reorganize my closet. one morning i walked in to find brooke playing dress up in my clothes :) turns out my shirts make pretty good dresses for a little 3 year-old girl. i was so glad to be here for this moment. she was so happy when i told her she was free to play dress-up with my clothes. all i asked for in exchange was a couple of pictures of my girl. i asked her to do her "ballet" and this is what she gave me. :)

and so it begins...

the season of scrapes and bruises, blood and band-aids. gavin took his first spill outside on the sidewalk this weekend. he caught himself with his hands but then rocked onto his face. eek. see that skinned chin of his? he was not happy. i say, get used to it, buddy. there are many more of those in your future :) and then about an hour later he flipped himself over a bar on a climbing structure at a park and landed right on his face. for some reason, that tumble didn't elicit a cry even though he had holes in his face from the wood chips he landed on. our poor guy is pretty beaten up.

oh, yes. and notice gavin's fleece jacket... i think there's about a 30 degree difference in temperature between Seattle and Cincinnati right now. how i yearn for some heat... it is May after all.

is it possible to grow a green thumb?

because lord knows that's what it's going to take for me to keep these beautiful herbs alive and growing! this was my mother's day present. we had a lot of fun at a local nursery picking out the herbs - sage, dill, chives, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme, mint - and then planting them on mother's day. we're even trying our hand at two tomato plants this year. perhaps i should consult master growers - heather & danny and dad & jennie :) i know our tomatoes will not compare to yours, but if we manage to get some edible red tomatoes, i will be very happy! wish me luck.

express yourself

a couple of weeks ago brooke and i were spending some quality time together in the kitchen doing all the things she loves... coloring, painting her fingernails, eating a snack... there was beautiful light coming in the kitchen so i grabbed my camera, and she indulged me for several minutes with one funny face after another. i loved them all. this one makes me laugh every time i look at it. brooke has always been very perceptive of expressions. during the holdiays in cincinnati this past year, we ran over our double stroller with the car :( brooke kept saying, "mommy, why are you making your lips like that?" i must have been making a sad face :( sometimes, i'll give her a look, and she'll say, "mommy, are you disappointed?" yep. brooke's ballet class is practicing for their upcoming dance recital, and there's a part in the routine where they're supposed to make an angry face and say "forget about the boy!" funny. so, she's constantly walking around practicing her "angry" face :) to say i am anticipating this dance recital would be a huge understatement.

i am so grateful to be at home every day to witness brooke blossoming into this expressive little girl who is soaking up every bit of the world around her. you can clearly see the influences in her life play out in her communication and actions. teachers, friends, parents, family. we're all in that pretty little head of hers. and even when you have no idea she is watching you or thinking about you, she is. i love to listen in on her playing by herself to see what she's saying, who she is imitating or who is on her mind. it's precious. this morning, "bar bar" was a character in one of her books :)

at 3 years and 3 months(ish) brooke is VERY into artwork. the island in our kitchen is a constant sea of crayons, markers and paper. brooke can spell her name, and is learning to write it all by herself! she has the "brook" down, and we're working on the "e." she knows her days of the week and months of the year. she loves to climb all over furniture and turn everything into a gymnastics apparatus. she loves the playground. and more than anything, she loves to create her own make-believe world with her friend and neighbor Hanna. they role play everything you can imagine... going on vacation, school, doctor/patient, mommy/baby, birthday parties, etc., etc.

brooke is a really great sister to gavin. she always brings him a toy if he is upset, and she loves to be the first in his room after he wakes up. she loves taking a bath with him. brooke doesn't realize it yet, but she teaches Gavin so many things every single day.

funny things brooke is saying right now include: "mommy, you are amazingly" "mommy, you are a mess (gee, thanks :)" "i'm having patience" and in response to me saying "i love you so much, brooke" she'll say, "so does me."

yesterday i took her to a new park. as soon as her feet hit ground, she was off and running on her own to check out the new jungle gym. she didn't need me. didn't need any help or reassurance. she was confident. i was proud. she even went right up to another little girl and engaged her in play. sometimes the shyness just evaporates. she is growing up. and i'm taking it all in... soaking it up... etching it into the walls of my heart. my girl. a precious age.

one

gavin is one year old! he loved his sesame street cake... especially once he realized he could eat it :) what delicious fun! we had a wonderful day celebrating and enjoying the boy that gavin has become. he's starting to walk, which is so cute to watch. he climbs all over everything; eats anything you put in front of him (by the fistful); and is quick to let you know what he wants. he's become a master of the half-grunt, half-screech as his main method of communication. he also points to things now. he can show you the nose on all his animals. he's going through a period of separation anxiety with mommy. whenever i put him down or walk out of the room, he usually screams and cries for me to come back and pick him up. keeps me quite busy! he loves elmo, big bird and curious george. he's taken over brooke's big "georgie" and now sleeps with him in his crib. he loves to give george big hugs. gavin is also growing quite attached to his hippo lovey. i try to keep it in his crib, but he's learned how to reach in and grab him. won't be long and he'll be carrying hippo everywhere just like brooke's giraffe! gavin loves playing at the park. he can climb halfway up the slide and can hang from the monkey bars on his own! gavin also loves books, music, blocks and balls. he is thrilled whenever he can get his hands on daddy's guitars :) gavin is a fast learner. it usually only takes one time for him to see something and then he's able to do it... like drawing with sidewalk chalk or using the mouse on brooke's computer! it's very special to see what a big influence brooke is in gavin's life. he tries to imitate her all the time. today brooke was doing forward rolls and gavin leaned forward and put his hands and head on the ground, ready to do it just like his sister :) this is such a magical age. to see your little boy changing from baby to toddler and growing with leaps and bounds literally every day. if only we could bottle a little bit of this and keep it forever...

how cute is this?

i promise birthday pics are coming, but first... i had to share the sweetest moment that i happened to catch today with my camera. gavin and titus, our next-door neighbor who is exactly one month younger than gavin, were standing together at a large boulder outside our neighbor's house. i was standing behind them and saw gavin very gently put his arm around titus and lean in to give him the sweetest little kiss on the cheek. it melted my heart. he's never done this before, but he must have understood it to be an appropriate greeting. i have no doubt he learned this from his sister who is always putting her arm around him and kissing him (sometimes not so gently!). and then i remembered the camera on my shoulder, so i ran around to get in front of them and caught another little nuzzle. i love the way gavin is looking right at him... forehead to forehead, nose to nose. boys. love them.

when mama comes to town

our house buzzes with little calls for "grandma, grandma." laughter rings throughout the house. the toys are organized. the laundry is done. the kitchen is clean. and there is always, always a tea cup on the counter or in the microwave :) so when i got home last night after driving to the airport, mom's tea cup on the counter brought tears to my eyes. when mama comes to town she fills our house with love. and when she leaves, we fill up the empty space in our hearts with all the great memories we've created. and sometimes, we wander into the guest bedroom because her scent still lingers there... we love you mama/grandma!