Ten on Tuesday.

1. Took Alla to the farm last Friday and she keeps asking to go back. She got to hold a baby chick, a kitten and a puppy, feed the cows, and pet the piglets. I think she's in awe of the fact that roosters actually do say cockadoodledoo.

2. Watched the first 4 episodes of Desperate Housewives, and my husband is hanging on because we also watched the first 2 episodes of Alias. How many seasons are there of Alias?

3. Did anyone record Army Wives? I read that if you're a Grey's fan, you should watch it. It's saved.

4. Does every household have at least one load of laundry to do everyday?

5. Ron built me a frame for my garden this weekend and together we dug up the grass in that 32 square foot space and that was a heck of a lot of work. The family that gardens together stays together.

6. All worth it, though, because Alla and I hit up the Farmer's Market this morning for dahlias, zinnia, basil, parsley, and the most amazing fuschia hanging basket you will ever see. Photos to come.

7. This is working out well: I got my new Real Simple yesterday, and I'm still working on the previous issue. I love that.

8. The most thrilling part of digging up the grass? Seeing how many worms we'd find. And a couple slugs. Alla let the worms crawl on her arm but not those ew-weee slugs.

9. Signed Alla up for swim class (we won't be calling them lessons, exactly) yesterday.

10. The first of our three-part nature classes is Friday. First up: Fabulous Flowers.

Happy June everyone!

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Memorial Day weekends are awesome. Amazing how one extra day adds so much ooomph to your weekend.

2. It was home improvement weekend: storm door installed, check. Grass thatched, mowed, re-seeded, & fertilized. My husband is awesome.

3. Went to Original Pancake House. Katie & Wally, wait 'til you see our Pancake House. It is faaaaan-ceeeeeee. Ron got his basted eggs fix.

4. Hit up TJ's for pepitas, wine, granola, and cookies.

5. Ron has set up our queue for the Summer Television Adventure (I think that's what he's calling it): Desperate Housewives and Alias. It is the truest definition of a compromise. I don't want to watch his show and he doesn't want to watch mine. I know lots of you have suggested Big Brother. Isn't this just a grown-ups' Real World? Please, please correct me if I'm wrong.

6. Thunderstorm today. Soon as I shut all the windows, it stopped. All that downpour. Love summer storms.

7. Alla said to Ron, "Daddy be careful with the wind. Don't blow away, Mommy be mad."

8. Ron told Alla she rolls deep. Has to have her entourage with her when we leave the house...Baby, Froggy, Eeyore, Elmo, and Bear. This is a lot of peeps for one little two year old to hang onto.

9. Some sneak-y peekies for my card swap gals (aren't they gorgeous!!):

10. Have you visited Chico & Mariah's new baby? -------------> see the link -------------->

Morning Transgressions.

Here's how our morning went:

5:43am - Alla chattering away in her crib

Charlie Brown, where's Linus? I don't know where's Linus.

(no answer from Mommy & Daddy)

Mooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmy! Alla's a pig! Oink oink oink oink oink oink oink oink.

(Still no answer from Mommy or Daddy)

5:53 am Daaaaaaaaaaaaadddddddddddddddddy! I got a boog. I got a BIG boogie on my finger!

(At this we finally crack up and declare her the winner, and Daddy does indeed go see about the boogie. Who's surprised that there wasn't an actual boogie?)

During her diaper change, I still snuggle into the covers, and hear: Daddy, not too tight, Daddy!

And then, I wanna say Happy Mother's Day to Mommy.

Sure enough, a moment later, my eyes clenched tight pretending to be asleep, she's lifted onto the bed right next to me, whispering, Happy Mother's Day, Mommy, Happy Mother's Day.

I'll take it.


We're back from PA so you know what that means? I have loads of editing to do so it will probably be next year til I'm done. In the meantime, here's one of my favorites from our trip. Alla and "Old McDonald." Old McDonald, you're wondering? Why, isn't that Ronald McDonald, Ron's beloved childhood toy? No, in fact, Alla has decided that this is Old McDonald, of E-I-E-I-O fame. She slept with him every night we were there, in Daddy's old bed, I might add, and sang him This Old Man as she [they] drifted off.

Hope you're all having a lovely Memorial Day weekend!

Two for the Road.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Right on cue, Alla came down with a cold the week before we're set to go to PA to visit Grandma & Grandpa. I swear they must think we're serving her up a daily dose of germs. I should have known there'd be a runny nose on Sunday when on Saturday she told me she had a snuffy nose.

2. Finished The Glass Castle in a week. Amazing read. Go get it.

3. Started The Pact. This was the first Jodi Picoult novel I saw in Target that made me want to read her stuff, and I just never got to it. It was the only one they had at the library yesterday. Score.

4. My husband is amazing. He made Mother's Day amazing. Breakfast in bed. Seriously. And took this picture. I love it. It tells what time it was (7:43, which means I had been lazing around in bed for an hour and forty-three minutes, and I think I stayed at least another forty-five after that). I shows my empty plate, the newspaper strewn about the bed, coffee cup, Alla opening my card, Tiffany box on my lap, and just happiness, and feeling really loved and appreciated. Thanks, you two.

5. So glad Susie's back.

6. So happy for Elizabeth's baby.

7. Eager to hear about Chico & Mariah's baby.

8. I scrapped! Actually I did three layouts last weekend. Here's one. This was great to get on paper, twenty-four hours of my life. If you've never done one of those TODAY layouts, I think they are so important and maybe my favorite because they are exactly what you did, thought, said. And I think that's what I'm going to want to remember twenty years from now, what my life was like, on a day-to-day basis. I don't know if you can enlarge this big enough to read, I mean the font had to be pretty small to get twenty-four hours of details in!

9. Is anyone else sad that the season finales are going on? I mean what am I supposed to watch all summer?

10. Ten on Tuesday will mostly likely be on hiatus next week while we're in PA. But you never know. I might get saucy and surprise you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope everyone is enjoying a lazy Sunday. I for one am still in my jammies and on my second cup of coffee and those are my major plans for the day. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who make my life so sweet, especially Mom.

Breakin' Out the Pool.

We had nearly ninety degrees yesterday so I broke out the pool for the little girl, who I believe forgot what it even was but when I informed her that it was for swimming said Alla go in it. Yes, babe, you go in it.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. A new favorite photo!2. Finished Saving Fish From Drowning. Don't recommend it.

3. Started The Glass Castle. I've only read 40 pages and I already recommend it.

4. Brought some lilacs inside today. Mmmmmmmm.

5. A recent conversation between Alla and I, which all started because she was indeed wearing a bib with a cupcake on it that said 'little cupcake,' went like this:

Me: Are you my little cupcake?
Alla: No! (Said in the tone of No, silly Mommy!)
Me: Are you my little punkin?
Alla: No! (Same tone)
Me: Are you my little brownie?
Alla: No!
Alla: Little daughter!

6. Tried on a tankini this weekend and had Alla on my hip while I pulled the top off the rack. Immediately she said, for nursin'.

7. Speaking of tankinis, have you checked out Athleta?

8. May is really nice. Flip flops are nice. I don't think anyone here has heard of Rainbows, though.

9. Already getting excited for State Fair time.

10. I still haven't gotten around to any Jodi Picoult novels. Maybe the library will have a paperback tomorrow.

Five for Friday.

Someday I'll catch up [on laundry, sleep, editing, etc.] from Alla's birthday, or should I say, birth-several-days, which perhaps she has been granted due to the fact that she did take several days of labor to arrive two years ago. Two? Still weird.

In the meantime, a few moments:

Her new car! Her new trike!Her new sit n spin!And, today, just her.
Happy weekend, all.

And We Begin the Third Year.

The three of us, our little family, moving from this great celebration to the glories of spring: outside and things growing and playing sand and running barefoot through grass and weeding and patio furniture and sunscreen and hats and flip flops and plans to shop for shorts.

Our lives are full.

And thanks for this photo, Sue.

The Official 6:37 Shot.

Yup, she's two. And loving it.


And an official bubble shot (though there's sure to be more), thankyouverymuch Amy, Rich, & Baby Hayden. She thinks it's magical.

Ten on Tuesday.

OK, to be honest I'm just truly exhausted and there's such a long list of things to do tomorrow that I'm wishing Tara was still here to watch Alla for a few hours, not even for my sanity, but for Alla's. Because she doesn't understand that we're running all these errands for her birthday, and I'm not sure I want her to understand yet. Let her believe the birthday fairies just run around flicking their wands and making everything magical for a few more years.

So, since I'm wiped out and just want to get over to the TV and veg while watching American Idol and eating a zucchini cupcake with a frozen mug of milk, I'm going to go the lazy Ten on Tuesday route, i.e., here are ten photos of my littlest love...

And So We Begin.

The week leading to two. And I'm excited, I tell you. It's like Christmas, when you know all the surprises for your little one, and you know how excited she'll be, but she has no idea yet. No concept of the anticipation part. Except Nana Pappi come visit you next week which she has been anticipating for at least a month now. Oh but there's more, little love, just you wait.

Change of Scene.

Firstly, this is the look I get when I ask her, beg her to look up at mama just for a sec so I can set my exposure and she finally indulges me and if I'm quick I get it. But I also know that in just a few years this look will reveal much more exasperation.

A little self-timer action yesterday. I love it like it is, but even more cause she thinks the self-timer is hilarious for some reason and cracks up after the photo is taken. I will always remember that.

Here's hoping wherever you are, that you are getting a chance to feel warm and take photographs in a new light.

Hey, Elephant!

Her new favorite song. Learned it in class on Monday. If you're not familiar with the words, let me share them so you and your family can sing along.

one elephant went out to play on a giant spider web one day
he had such enormous fun that he called for another elephant to come
hey, elephant!

Ten on Tuesday.

1. I bet you didn't have to explain to your almost two-year-old daughter today that bananas don't have vaginas.

2. After that conversation, I indulged her rhinoceros have to go to work ideas.

3. Playing hide and seek with Daddy at the park:

5. Alla about flipped her lid at Walgreen's this morning over a 3-for-$11.99 baby doll stroller. Like the kind of crying cause she wasn't going to get it where I have to tell her to breathe.

6. Maybe she'll be a soccer star. Watch out Mia Hamm.

7. Nine days? Is that all I have left of ONE?

8. Should have gotten a sandbox last summer instead of a sand & water table because I've been catching her climbing up onto the table to sit in it.

9. Her favorite word? NO. (No laughing, Mom.)

10. She's just so happy that the weather is park-worthy. I couldn't tell her when the snow melts and the sun comes out and warms everything up and dries everything out too much longer.

Fair warning: next Tuesday's Ten may very well be mushy gushy due to the impending birthday.

Fresh Air.

That's what's going on here. Everyone's getting their fair share of fresh air, making up for all those lost frozen months. Running, biking, walking, digging for worms, wondering about ladybugs, buying fresh new sand and sunscreen, getting white sneakers dirty. All these things are making us all super happy today.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Please take a moment to go look at our weather forecast. Now take a moment to flip off the weather forecast.

(OK, now that I have that out of my system, let's move on.)

2. What a cool article I came across today written by a woman who nursed her daughter way beyond infancy. I'm certain this will be similar to Alla's eventual weaning. I cringe just typing that word, though.

3. I came across said article on Apartment Therapy: The Nursery. This site rocks.

4. I am taking lots of pictures. Taking pictures everyday. Just not taking time to edit them, post them, etc. Busy busy. But I'm not sure with what.

5. About to finish this up and head over to the television for American Idol. I can hardly bear it. What on earth is going on with that show?

6. Her favorite color is blue.

7. She says nope.

8. I know I've mentioned Rolla. Baby. She loves her baby. Goes nowhere without her. Sleeps with her. Plays with her. Sings to her. Tells her stories. Gets her blankets, wraps her up and kisses her.

9. Lately it's Baby fall down. Baby cry. Baby sad. No tears, baby. Shhhh, it's okay, Baby. I love you.

10. I love these two.

Happy Easter!

Hope you're all having a wonderful-family filled day. Alla is way more intrigued with Easter grass than Easter eggs or jelly beans. Loves her little lamb, bunny house and ducky, and Charlie Brown. We love that it's Sunday, so long breakfast (yummy old Cooking Light french toast recipe), coffee, and newspaper. Lots of lounging time today. And don't forget to watch Tiger.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Can you even resist this cheek hanging out of her diaper after napping without pants?

2. Have you tried the family kiss, in which one parent holds the child and you all simultaneously kiss one another? Alla adores this, started asking for it tonight, and has since found utter joy in the family hug as well.

3. What she told Daddy on Saturday morning when he went in her room to get her out of bed: 'Daddy, I have a filthy diaper.'

4. April [snow] showers bring May flowers. Yes it's snowing. Yes it's 27 degrees. Yes it was 81 last Monday.

5. Have you tried Cover Girl's Lash Exact mascara? I have been a Great Lash Girl since junior high. I will never go back. Lash Exact rocks.

6. I've been thinking of all the lovely birthday gifts and outings for Alla later this month. Her favorite things. All in one day, one weekend. One of those should really be bubble wrap. In fact that might be all she needs. The big size.

7. Missing Megan and missing out on the new one.

8. My daughter sat on the Easter Bunny's lap today. Sat. For awhile.

9. I hope my DHC order comes this week. That would really make my week.

10. Just a lunch photo. Applesauce and pastas.