Monday, April 30, 2007

Et voila


Aren't they festive? These are the dishtowel napkins. They are 100% cotton, and I chose blues and greens to go with our dining room rug. I'm about halfway through this project (some of the napkins are in the laundry already). They aren't precisely square, but folded into triangles it doesn't seem to matter. They sew up fast, so the time consuming part is the ironing and pinning.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Threatening shapes

"You know," Lauren remarked, "it's really just a ferocious square..." She traced a circle in the air with her finger.

"I believe you mean vicious circle..." I interjected.

"Ah. Yes. It's a vicious circle..."

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Multitasking

Occasionally, I find myself doing something I couldn't have imagined before I had kids. Today, it was running down the stairs with a baby tucked under my arm, putting back on her pants as I stepped. I pulled a tissue out of my left pocket to wipe her nose as my feet met the floor at the bottom of the stairs.

Is there a Mom badge for that?

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Moment of clarity

"I've been thinking a lot about something." Lauren started as I parked the car before school. "I really think we should discuss it."

"Alright." I said. "What do we need to discuss?"

"Grandpa Paul."

"Ok. What about Grandpa Paul?"

Lauren heaved a sigh. "I just wanted to say that I think he might be Santa Claus."

"What makes you say that?"

"Mom," she said in her all-business tone, "Did you look at Santa? He looked like Grandpa Paul. And where was Grandpa Paul when Santa was there? Oh. And G kissed him."

Christmas 2006

"That sounds like very good evidence." I said.

"So why did everyone pretend that Grandpa Paul is Santa Claus?"

"Because sometimes it's fun to pretend."

Thursday, April 19, 2007

There goes her radio career

Lauren announces, while coloring, "I am coloring this person brown!"

"Nice. When someone has skin that color, we say they are black."

"But they aren't black. They're brown."

"Yes. But they prefer to be called black."

"Ms Brown is brown." she replies. Ms Brown teaches at Lauren's school.

"Yes. But she would prefer to be called black."

"Why would she want to be called Ms Black if that's not her name?"

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Participating in a political process

If, for whatever reason, you read my blog and don't know me personally, let me set you straight - I am a little bit nuts. Not in a cross-the-street-to-avoid-the-drooling-freak sort of way, but in a neurotic, occasionally annoying, but usually funny way.

Yesterday was the big vote. And I received a chipper email this morning informing me that the budget had indeed passed, by 95 votes. The polls were open at 2 PM yesterday, so I decided to head down to my polling place, a local synagogue, after the bus arrived at 3. It's only about a 5 block walk, and parking is hard to come by on our main street, so I put Lin in the stroller and we walked despite the drizzle.

Alec had taken the girls to an Easter egg hunt a few weeks back at the Reform Church, and the party favors, most of them religious, had ended up in the bottom of the stroller. Notably, an Easter crown of eggs - about 8 eggs linked together paper doll-style each with a little saying about God, miracles, and Jesus. So seconds before we are about to enter one of the borough's conservative temples, Lauren has adorned herself with a paper crown that announces Jesus Loves Me!.

God has the best sense of humor though. Seriously. He really has to take his stand up routine on the road and tour with Seinfeld.

Just as we turned the corner, the paper crown blew off.

A girl, a couple years older than Lauren caught it in the air and handed it back to her. Lauren replied, "I think we should put this away now, Mom. I don't want to lose it."

"Oh ok. " I replied, tucking it back into the bottom of the stroller. I believe in miracles! beamed up from inside the black mesh basket.

We entered the synagogue, the crown forgotten. Since I had mentioned at the bus stop that Lauren would get a treat after this was over, that we'd reached the destination caused that thought to become itchy. "So, where's my treat?"

"After we're done, hon." I replied. Lindsay had become fussy, so I was trying to read the district numbers for each check in table while I rocked the stroller back and forth.

"What is it?"

"A lollipop."

"May I have it?"

And usually, my friends, I offer a lollipop as a treat because it in of itself is a quiet distraction. I collect the ones that the bank gives away so I usually have a stash of Wachovia blue and green. If it was the sort you buy at the store, it would've had the reassuring K to indicate that one might use is as bait in the synogogue, but after the banana bread incident, I don't take these chances. "Once we leave. They have a lot of rules about food in a synagogue."

Lauren looked enchanted - her favorite sort of rules are food rules. "Really, what kind of rules?" she asked loudly.

"No lollipops." I lied.

"Ohhh." she breathed. "Ok." She watched excitedly as I pushed buttons, and pushed the big red VOTE button when I finished.

As we walked to the door, she stopped the smartly dressed woman entering to warn her, "No lollipops in here, ma'am. They have food rules."

Oy.

Monday, April 16, 2007

At the same age

Lauren, July 2003

Lauren and Lindsay, April 2007

They have the same nose and mouth - mine, I think. But the face shapes are very different, and so are the eye shapes. Lauren's eyes are almond-shaped, and Lindsay's are round. Although this isn't a great picture to see it, Lauren's eyes have already changed to hazel, while Lindsay's are still remarkably blue. Lauren's hair was a little longer, and quite a bit darker.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

And to think I knew you when

My dear friend was recently exposed for the trouble-maker he is. And he is a huge trouble-maker. He's also one of the funniest people I know, and mostly because he isn't trying to be funny. I never knew him as a young man, so I can't say he turned 50 and lost his filters. From our mutual acquaintances, I suspect it is safe to say that he is as God made him. Not only has he been a great friend, he has been a continual fan of my family's life and has lent support in more ways than I can enumerate.

He has known Lauren since she was a speck on an ultrasound film, back when we referred to her as The Munchkin. She spent the better part of her first year hanging out in his office. And because (or perhaps in spite of) they share the same birthday, he has always had a great affection for her and delights in stories about the person she's become.

We were on the phone catching up about vacations and household construction when Lauren sauntered into the room and asked, "Mom, may I please mop the floor?"

I could actually hear him holding his breath. Several seconds passed before he asked, "Did she just ask if she could mop?!"

Nonchalantly, I led her to the kitchen and handed her the rag mop and told her to do the kitchen first and work her way to the living room.

"May I use the duster after that?"

"Sure, I will leave the broom closet open. Just make sure that you only take out one tool at a time, okay?"

"Okay, Mom."
So she proceeded to do that, and as you can see from the pictures, talked all the while in typical Lauren fashion.
"She likes to mop."

"Oh my..." He was actually giggling at this point.

"I've always been good at managing people..."

"Yes...but...wow. Oh my."

"You're kicking yourself that you didn't think of it first."

"Wow."

"And if I say that Lindsay is here looking on wistfully..."

"You're so cool. And to think I knew you when..."

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Once they start talking, they can talk back

"What's that on your face?"

"What's on my face?"

"What did you draw with on your face?"

"What did I..."

"Was it marker?"

Woeful expression. Averted eyes.

"Should I take that as a 'Yes'?"

***

"Bye bye, Baby," the cashier says. She waves.

Lindsay looks at her quizzically.

"She will say "Bye" and wave about fifteen minutes from now."

A quarter hour later:

"Buh bah," Lindsay says, jerking her whole left arm up and down awkwardly. "Buh bah."

Monday, April 09, 2007

Friday, April 06, 2007

Some of the sweetest moments

Ready for bed

Lindsay's first carousel ride

Learning to fly

Alec discussing philosophy (or perhaps gravity?) with Lauren

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Some pictures

The girls, dressed to go to Tuesday's Seder

Lauren prepares to be a flower girl for the third time

Lauren and Alec at Cracker Barrel in Allentown, PA

Lindsay waits patiently for her grilled cheese

Tuesday, April 03, 2007