This cozy yellow sleeper might be the item of clothing that I'll forever associate with Molly's babyhood, and I'm so glad to finally capture her wearing it, along with her blue eyes, her new top front tooth, and her happy morning mood.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
In Search of a Kid-Colored Kitchen
Before we left for Scottsdale last week, Molly helped me pack up the kitchen and take some parting shots of its white tile floor, white countertops, and white appliances.
All of that whiteness looked clean, crisp, and spacious... for about five minutes after sweeping, swiffering or mopping. But life in our house includes messy kids and black dogs, who tend to barrel though the kitchen about a million times each day. After almost a year of obsessively sweeping about five times daily, we decided to update the kitchen and make it a little less white, and a little more kid and dog-colored. In other words, we're replacing the white porcelain tile with red oak hardwood floors to match the rest of the original hardwoods in the house, changing the white laminate countertops to a warm brown and goldish granite, and switching out all of the appliances to stainless steel.
We've lived through a kitchen remodel once before, but that was pre-kids. After just one day of dealing with our fridge in the dining room, using paper plates and cups, and having no access to any other appliances, I decided to pack up the kids and head to my family's cabin in Tahoe, where we could escape the fumes from the hardwood floors, and hole up in a snowy retreat for a few days.
We can't wait to see our new, non-white space when we get back!
All of that whiteness looked clean, crisp, and spacious... for about five minutes after sweeping, swiffering or mopping. But life in our house includes messy kids and black dogs, who tend to barrel though the kitchen about a million times each day. After almost a year of obsessively sweeping about five times daily, we decided to update the kitchen and make it a little less white, and a little more kid and dog-colored. In other words, we're replacing the white porcelain tile with red oak hardwood floors to match the rest of the original hardwoods in the house, changing the white laminate countertops to a warm brown and goldish granite, and switching out all of the appliances to stainless steel.
We've lived through a kitchen remodel once before, but that was pre-kids. After just one day of dealing with our fridge in the dining room, using paper plates and cups, and having no access to any other appliances, I decided to pack up the kids and head to my family's cabin in Tahoe, where we could escape the fumes from the hardwood floors, and hole up in a snowy retreat for a few days.
We can't wait to see our new, non-white space when we get back!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Baseball Fans in Training
Eight (eight!!) years ago, we headed to Spring Training in Scottsdale with our friends T and Carrie, took in a few baseball games, bumped into some players at a Scottsdale bar, and even road-tripped to the Grand Canyon, braving icy temperatures for a hike down into the valley.
Here's a peek at us back then, before we had a digital camera -- we used a disposable Kodak camera, and it looks like it was snowing in all of the photos.
We decided to do it all again last week -- minus the Grand Canyon -- with five kids in tow. Let's just say it was a pretty different trip. We juggled babysitting duties, five little ones in water wings or floaties, nap times and bed times, and saw a lot less baseball than we did in 2003. But we were still with great friends, and managed to relax, unwind, and enjoy the Arizona sun!
After an entire day of refusing to put his face in the water, Joey finally remembered his swim lessons from last summer, and he spent a lot of time having "Grace Races," giggling, and flirting with his little girlfriend Grace.
Clara loved her new "flower goggles," and paddled around the pool in a pink flower-shaped floatie until she turned into a prune.
After an entire day of refusing to put his face in the water, Joey finally remembered his swim lessons from last summer, and he spent a lot of time having "Grace Races," giggling, and flirting with his little girlfriend Grace.
Clara loved her new "flower goggles," and paddled around the pool in a pink flower-shaped floatie until she turned into a prune.
Molly stayed on dry land quite a bit, but loved the water when she was in it.
At Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants played while our kids slept, ate, and monkeyed around.
The two Lincecums critiqued the bullpen.
On the way home, we piled all the "big kids" into their own row at the very back of the plane, and employed some unorthodox methods to keep them quiet: trail mix, fruit snacks, and tape. Tim's parenting guide will be at a bookstore near you soon!
At Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants played while our kids slept, ate, and monkeyed around.
The two Lincecums critiqued the bullpen.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Raise Your Glass!
Our little Irish lass rang in her very first St. Patrick's Day with four-leaf clover headgear and a celebratory beverage. Is there any better start, with a name like Molly May?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Girl Mom
Having a son plunges you into a foreign landscape filled with trucks, trains, balls, and dirt. He forces you to notice construction sites, linger in sporting goods stores, and play hard in playgrounds long after others have called it a day.
You get used to stripping your little boy of muddy boots before he walks in the door, checking his pockets for rocks and treasures before throwing his pants in the washing machine, and contending with his man-size appetite. You collect more knowledge about dinosaurs, planets, and superheroes than you ever dreamed you would amass.
You have the privilege of receiving impossibly fierce hugs, achingly sweet head butts, and sticky peanut butter and jelly kisses... your little boy expressing his love for his mother in ways that little girls just don't.
Your house is littered with evidence of your boy: toy cars, wooden train tracks, teeny-tiny superhero weapons, extra-large grass-stained pants. As you shake sand out of his hair, scrape dirt out from underneath his fingernails, and dump him into the bathtub, it seems impossible to imagine a different parenting experience.
And then, one day, you realize that yes, you're a Boy Mom, but you're also somehow morphing into that species that you've observed from afar for years now: a Girl Mom.
Before Clara was born, and even well into her toddlerhood, I would watch, slack-jawed, as Girl Moms went about their daily routines. Their world was filled with puzzling objects like nightgowns, impossibly tiny underwear, high-heeled princess shoes, lip gloss, and actual kid-size combs and brushes that were used daily to secure hair accessories in childrens' hair. I would see these moms trip over baby dolls and miniature strollers, minuscule Cinderella slippers, and toy food. They had to keep track of clothing items that seemed bizarre and useless, and made getting dressed a squirmy, complicated affair. Tights. Bloomers. Headbands. Cardigans. I could never get over how pink it all was.
Nearly a year has gone by since I began rearing multiple girls. I should have realized months ago that I AM one of those girl moms now. But it took a Target shopping trip last week with just Clara and Molly in tow to show me that I'm waist-deep in those once-mysterious pink waters.
We lingered in the shoe department while Clara oohed and aahed over sequined flip-flops. We spent way more time than Joey would have allowed in the girls' toy aisle. We squealed over some princessy beach towels. And we capped it all off by trying on some cardigans from the toddler racks.
As we loaded our goodies onto the checkout counter, an older woman got behind me in line, and watched as Clara hopped up and down clutching a purple My Little Pony. She gave me a knowing look.
"Girls!" she said. "You must be having fun!"
A part of me felt traitorous for abandoning my Boy Mom past, but as I turned to the register, gently nudging my pig-tailed little girl forward, and hitching up my baby's pink trimmed socks, I couldn't keep the smile off my face.
You get used to stripping your little boy of muddy boots before he walks in the door, checking his pockets for rocks and treasures before throwing his pants in the washing machine, and contending with his man-size appetite. You collect more knowledge about dinosaurs, planets, and superheroes than you ever dreamed you would amass.
You have the privilege of receiving impossibly fierce hugs, achingly sweet head butts, and sticky peanut butter and jelly kisses... your little boy expressing his love for his mother in ways that little girls just don't.
Your house is littered with evidence of your boy: toy cars, wooden train tracks, teeny-tiny superhero weapons, extra-large grass-stained pants. As you shake sand out of his hair, scrape dirt out from underneath his fingernails, and dump him into the bathtub, it seems impossible to imagine a different parenting experience.
And then, one day, you realize that yes, you're a Boy Mom, but you're also somehow morphing into that species that you've observed from afar for years now: a Girl Mom.
Before Clara was born, and even well into her toddlerhood, I would watch, slack-jawed, as Girl Moms went about their daily routines. Their world was filled with puzzling objects like nightgowns, impossibly tiny underwear, high-heeled princess shoes, lip gloss, and actual kid-size combs and brushes that were used daily to secure hair accessories in childrens' hair. I would see these moms trip over baby dolls and miniature strollers, minuscule Cinderella slippers, and toy food. They had to keep track of clothing items that seemed bizarre and useless, and made getting dressed a squirmy, complicated affair. Tights. Bloomers. Headbands. Cardigans. I could never get over how pink it all was.
Nearly a year has gone by since I began rearing multiple girls. I should have realized months ago that I AM one of those girl moms now. But it took a Target shopping trip last week with just Clara and Molly in tow to show me that I'm waist-deep in those once-mysterious pink waters.
We lingered in the shoe department while Clara oohed and aahed over sequined flip-flops. We spent way more time than Joey would have allowed in the girls' toy aisle. We squealed over some princessy beach towels. And we capped it all off by trying on some cardigans from the toddler racks.
As we loaded our goodies onto the checkout counter, an older woman got behind me in line, and watched as Clara hopped up and down clutching a purple My Little Pony. She gave me a knowing look.
"Girls!" she said. "You must be having fun!"
A part of me felt traitorous for abandoning my Boy Mom past, but as I turned to the register, gently nudging my pig-tailed little girl forward, and hitching up my baby's pink trimmed socks, I couldn't keep the smile off my face.
Monday, March 14, 2011
10 Months Old!
She's mastering her "wave," cutting her top teeth, insists on feeding herself, scoots backwards like a pro, might be the most enthusiastic Jumperoo fan ever, and lights up like it's Christmas when her Daddy enters the room. We can't believe she's already 10 months old!
Here's some shots from the last month!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Champions of the World
(Cue the Chariots of Fire soundtrack.)
Joey and his Bear Cubs teammates rocked their Lamorinda indoor soccer season, finishing on Saturday as champions for their age group. Comprised almost entirely of boys from his preschool class, and led by one rockstar girl athlete, they fumbled their way to a win at almost every game, celebrated with Capri Suns and granola bars, and had about as much fun as five year-olds can have in a school gymnasium.
Joey got off to a humbling start when he scored a goal in his own net during the first game, rallied toward the end of the season with a couple of lucky goals, but generally left the skilled dribbling and kicks to his nimbler, more agile teammates. A power kicker rather than a footwork guy, he could be counted on to boot the ball almost all the way down the field, even if no teammate was there to receive it, and earned his keep mostly by playing goalie and defense.
The team celebrated their win by descending en masse on Moraga's ice cream shop.
Next up? Little League! It starts next month, and I'm not sure who's more excited, Joey -- who will be sporting the cutest little pair of baseball pants you've ever seen -- or Tim, who will be head coach!
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