SAHM-ing and a Gray Weekend

Well, Spring Break is definitively over, and as we get closer and closer to thesis due date and finals (for me) and final AOC exercise (Seth), these blogs will likely be continually longer on brevity. Luckily, F+F are pretty cute and we take plenty of pictures, so I doubt that my commentary will be missed much anyway.

Ford got booted from daycare Wednesday for a teething fever (seriously- 99.7. I was beside myself.) Instead of losing my mind over the 8 hours of writing that was not happening with a not-at-all-sick kid at home, and the indignity of banishment for something so inocuous, I snagged Finley too and had a glorious "stay-at-home-Mom of the Hudson Valley" day.

We went to toddler yoga, which was obviously a hit (here, Finley is wrapped up in her yoga mat "like a hot dog!" Very zen.)

And spent hours at the Croton library, which has an awesome kids' section. I am grateful daily for my Mom, who instilled in each of us a love for books and libraries and the communities that support them, and my SAHM day would not have been complete without this tribute to the many happy hours we spent at the public library growing up.

(Incidentally, for the love of all that is holy, if nothing else inspires one to call one's Congressman these days- a premise that is itself hard to believe- this should.)

After naptime we made a trip to Michael's, the bane of my existence, for art supplies. Finley calls crafts "craps," and loudly, which always makes for a hilarious trip to the craft store.

The rest of the week was gray and cold and insanely busy. Finley managed to squeeze in a playdate with "my Tommy Ryan" (who is looking like a real charmer in this picture),

 and Ford perfected the art of stealing Finley's toys and laughing gleefully about it.

The weekend was a blur of trying to make up for lost study time, missed paper deadlines, and skipped workouts. Not to mention laundry.

We did laps around the block whenever it looked like a break in the rain, but it wasn't enough to beat the cabin fever.

Finally we gave up and took the little heathens to play indoor golf.

And to terrorize the bookstore.

And made our usual Sunday trip to the nature museum for the animal program and a roll in the ever-popular beanbag chairs.

 Also, we definitely put on our all of our finery to sit on the potty.

Which would have been the photo of the week if I hadn't caught this gem at our impromptu Sunday night "March Madness and Happy Hour with Kids." I adore this one of my two guys watching the game with their drinks.

And my epic parenting fail (or win?), applying a cold pint glass to Finley's lip when she busted it trying to climb over the seat. 

Who needs ice packs?

Spring Break in the PNW.

The rain fell softly but steadily, as it does in the Pacific Northwest in the spring. Out by the fire pit, obscured by the mist framed by tall, dark pines, and delighted by an enormous fire; the big kids roasted hot dogs with Lisa and Missy. Mom had both babies squealing with delight in the warm kitchen, and Seth was doing something at the grill on the wraparound porch that involved sausages and craft beer. Ben and I were at the table singing along to a bluegrass song loudly and tunelessly, and we laughed as Dad walked toward us folding up an empty Busch Light box. (His, not ours. Obviously.)

It was perfect. That moment, full of music and soft rain and peals of laughter from five happy kids, and the whole week. The older we get, and the fewer and farther between these moments of family togetherness become, the more precious they are.

A week in one of the most beautiful places in the world didn't hurt either.

We're home now, busy shoveling snow and missing cousins and fighting jet lag and catching up on schoolwork. But we're still glow-y from our week with (most of) the Walters Fam in the PNW. The (billions of) pictures, and a few hilarious videos, I took are here.

A couple other notes:

We missed the Bustamantes something fierce. The cousins playing together was magical and sweet and funny, and the absence of the adorable Lehua was strongly felt.

The family that hikes together stays together. And, more importantly, is willing to make trans-Pacific flights to be together. (Here's looking at you, Japan Walters, you rock stars.) Thanks, Mom & Dad, for instilling in us a love of the outdoors, uphill climbs, and beautiful views. We snuck in an epic hike one day, and it was like old times. It made us all think about how we're teaching the next generation to someday sign pledges- as we did- to "never go hiking for fun, ever" and then spend the rest of their lives doing just that.

Kids love hot tubs. And the rainy PNW should never be enjoyed without them. (Hot tubs, not kids. Although the latter is a lovely addition.)

Wikki Sticks are indispensable on airplanes when you are traveling with a toddler. So are dum dums, sticker books, and- oddly- a roll of painter's tape. Headphones, on the other hand, are totally worthless, and iPads are not nearly the Midas touch people would have you believe.

Long flights will still be terrible, no matter how well you pack.

It will always be worth it. Always.

Where did the weekend go?

Our weekend got away from us. It was our last weekend at home before the big Spring Break cross country trek, so we had a long list of things we wanted to get done. Knowing how nutty our weeks tend to get, I had even at one point entertained the idea of starting to pack. (Rigghhhtttt.)

But an end-of-week cold snap meant that it was freezing and gray and uninviting out, and I was averse to a weekend of cabin fever. So back to the Children's Museum we went, this time with the Ryans in tow. Finley was beside herself- she adores Tommy and Mikayla, and she asks to hang out with them constantly. 

Plus there's a fire truck.

Ford is crawling everywhere and pulling himself up on everything these days, and the world is basically his jungle gym. He especially loves stairs, and has little regard for his own safety. He has a blast anywhere we can set him down and let him go. 

Afterwards, we went out for German food and giant beers...

which devolved into at least one of us (guess who?) napping on the couch, and an impromptu dinner party, during which I made my first-ever meatloaf. Which was absurdly large, since I used a recipe from the Food Network that called for 5 lbs. of meat and since I'm a novice in the "loaf" realm, I thought maybe it cooked down...?

I also somehow found myself giving pedicures to small children in my living room.

and, after everyone else had gone home/ to bed, scrubbing red nail polish out of the carpet.

So Sunday wound up being recovery day. Not packing day. Or cooking day. Or cleaning day. (Luckily, I had had a late-night cleaning binge and we had tons of turkey meatloaf leftover. Literally. Tons.)

We took turns working out, failed twice to show up when the drycleaners were actually open, and decamped to the "Meet the Animals" program at the nature museum for the afternoon. Where Finley, out of nowhere, warned the naturalist that "snake bite you!!!" and responded to the question "what do snakes eat?" with a loud and gleeful "Finley!"

Luckily we both love science and nature museums as much as the kids- especially Seth, who does not like them getting their grubby fingers in his creations.

But is always happy to hoist them up for a view. (Here, he is trying valiantly to prevent Ford from climbing into the fish tank.)

And that was that. In the blink of an eye, and with the help of a little German beer, our weekend was over in a flash and we were on the downward slide to Spring Break! We've survived the Monday-Tuesday chaos, which scheduling-wise is currently our roughest stretch, so it's looking like we may actually make it.

Which is crazy. Even now, the Japan Walters are on a wild space-A adventure to Seattle to meet us, having split into two groups, one without luggage. I can't decide whether I'm insanely jealous or thrilled to have confirmed, nonstop tickets. (Knock. On. Wood.)

Until then, this was one of my favorites from the week. Finley's new favorite thing is "driving." It makes us late basically every time we go anywhere, but she loves to sit in the driver's seat and demands that the music be turned on so she can car dance. It's hilarious. (And I'm afraid her moves are better than mine!)

And I think this video, from weekend hangout time with the new travel bed, is priceless. Both kids loved it- and Finley informed me she was "crazy!" I couldn't stop laughing. 

And seriously, $35 at WalMart. I highly recommend this purchase.

A Much-Needed Reset Weekend

We were in desperate need of a reset weekend. We'd been going full speed for weeks, staying up late and getting up early, tired enough to let kids climb in bed with us rather than spend the requisite hours putting them back to sleep in their own rooms, drinking too much wine and eating out more than we cared to, doing stacks of dishes by hand because we were out of dishwashing liquid and nobody had time to run to the commissary, phoning in workouts or skipping them altogether, putting off paper writing for school and AOC... I had a paper proposal on its second extension and Seth was a week past due date on a textbook chapter he was supposed to be writing. And the kids were off kilter from being dumped unceremoniously back in daycare after a luxurious long weekend with grandparents and presents and cupcakes and a trip to the circus. (Who wouldn't be?)

One of my many weaknesses, though, is that I tend to feel like weekends are wasted if we don't go somewhere. Luckily, one of Seth's best counterbalances is that he is less inclined, and occasionally even flatly refuses.

We compromised. Saturday was the last of our unseasonably warm weather, so I took the kids to Bear Mountain while Seth got in a solid workout. Despite the "two against one" odds, and with the help of the "finally not buried under a pile of snow" double BOB,

I managed to keep them from falling into the coyote enclosure.

Although I was not so successful at preventing the inevitably-ending-in-tears stick duel. (It was fun while it lasted.)

We got home jussstttt before the storm hit, and- with all that Vitamin D under our belts- didn't mind holing up inside to do "yogups" and bake cookies.

By Sunday morning, however, we were vacuuming in our underwear for fun, and it was time to bust out and beat cabin fever.

We adore children's museums and had been saving the one in Poughkeepsie for, literally, a rainy day. Or a cold one. It turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. Seth liked the building exhibits as much as the kids.

Finley was ob-sessed with the fire truck.

Big Ford showed us what a proficient stair-crawler he's become. (He does not care for the slide down once he gets to the top, though.)

And Fitnley gave us a terrifying preview of the future when she climbed behind the wheel of this little racecar and demanded, "I drive Ford!"

At least she was wearing a safety vest?

We capped off a lovely Sunday afternoon with an ambitious and only slightly chaotic trip to the German restaurant Missy and I had discovered in Po-town, where Ford and Seth both enjoyed bottles. 

That is, until Ford discovered spaetzle and delightedly ate an entire plate of it while Finley took off her shoes and socks and danced around the bar while shoveling french fries dipped in mayonnaise. I was laughing too hard to get a picture of that, sadly.

We got some writing done Sunday night and squeezed in a trip to the grocery store somewhere in there too. Overall, our reset weekend was a rousing success even if the house didn't quite get clean, we got dishwashing liquid but are now out of laundry detergent, and we're still only 50-50 on kid sleep battles. Can't win 'em all, and we made it through Monday, so we're on a roll.

In favorite-pictures news, Ford has become a much better eater this week, to my relief. Even if it means he steals my sandwiches.

And I loved this picture, of Finley giving a much bigger kid the "it's MY turn" look at the Bear Mountain playground, after a minor slide tussle. We're not playground interventionists so Ford and I watched this whole thing unfold from the stairs, but I was proud to see her stand her ground when this kid tried to run her over. And I loved The Look.

Finally, the tigers continue to be a hit. Finley has taught Ford how to "fight our tigers, Ford!" and this is them growling at each other while I made waffles Saturday morning.

Seth's birthday week, a real date night, and the circus.

My husband looks ridiculously good in a suit. With his broad shoulders and angular jaw and towering physical presence, it doesn't matter how well-tailored the suit. One is acutely aware of his large hands, muscular build, and the fact that he wonders aloud over dinner whether the wearer of a suit jacket should take it off first or deliver a knockout punch still wearing it, "you know. If you had to."

Obviously, I would be more than a little pissed if I had to bail Seth out of jail instead of ordering dessert, but I can't help but love how ever-so-slightly uncomfortable but undeniably handsome he looks when he dons a bowtie and tries valiantly to keep the evidence of very-rare steak consumption away from a white collar.

These days, we rarely get to enjoy each other dressed up, preferring instead to take turns with dress events we can't get out of, and otherwise spending evenings at home playing an elaborate version of "whoever smelled it first changes the diaper."

But Grandma and Grandpa were in town for the long weekend, and we've been talking forever about doing a "dinner and a show" evening in the city. It was still hard to tear ourselves away, but Monday we scooped up last-minute Wicked tickets, dusted off our non-athletic shoes, and scored a hard-to-get reservation at the venerable Keen's Steakhouse, where Seth's filet was seriously impressive

and- big nerds that we are- we loved the crazy historic pipe collection. (Liza Minnelli's gave me a particular chuckle, amid the hypermasculine collection.)

The show was excellent. I was worried Seth wouldn't like it as much as I (an all-things-Oz superfan), but he loves a good performance. And was not sad to see this sign in Gershwin Theater:

We had a great time, although it was an insanely late night and I'm back in the city now and on my fourth cup of coffee. Worth it to get to enjoy Broadway, uninterrupted conversation, and red wine without worrying about when (not if) it's going to wind up on the carpet or the baby, or both. The kids were apparently saints for Grandma and Grandpa (to our delight) and even ate their broccoli (to our amazement).

 And we had remembered the "guilt tax," and undid last night's healthy dinner by caving on the "chocolate cake for breakfast" demand this morning.

Finley and Ford are enjoying the heck out of Seth's birthday week. They got to go to his favorite steak place Friday, ruining dinner for scores of fellow diners and ensuring that no one would ever want a gourmet pickle out of the community jar again. (At least not anyone who knew better.)

They l-o-v-e-d Seth's party Saturday night, which turned into a real kid rager with a dozen kids, a trampoline, a makeshift marching band, countless cupcakes, a game of dress-up in my closet, multiple potty-training fails, an "everybody in" bath, and an apparent game of "hide the corndogs." Which we are still finding. Sometimes in our bed.

If Jayne hadn't been there to split cleanup duties, I definitely would have just burned the house down rather than attempt to clean it. Possibly while Seth and his friends still sat, blissfully unaware, on the back porch drinking whiskey.

But thankfully, the highlight of the weekend is that Jayne and Tony are here to celebrate with us. And prevent arson. We've been super lucky weather-wise and have had an unexpected warm snap, so we've gotten to go for beautiful walks (here, sunset at Trophy Point).

and play outside,

and have lovely, funny evenings consisting of stacks and stacks of books and hilarious "cooking with Finley & Grandma" episodes.

Although nothing could top the long-anticipated trip to the circus. Probably ever, to our chagrin. It was magical for everybody (and, thankfully, they did have elephants, PETA lawsuits notwithstanding). Finley got to ride the ponies, Ford loved the lights and the acrobats, and the kids left with new white tiger stuffed animals from Grandpa, their new favorite things.

We clearly still have some work to do in the sharing arena, however. Finley's little eyes got big when she saw them, and she said "I got two!"

We're still enjoying grandparent time for another day so I haven't gone through all my pictures, but this set cracked me up. The first is of Finley, in horrific sequined princess dress Mikayla brought for her to wear to Seth's party, licking the frosting off a cupcake; the second, of Angel Ford eating salad at Schlesinger's.

This one of Finley, bored waiting on Mom catching up with the neighbors in the commissary parking lot, is also priceless.

But my favorite one, maybe ever, is of Grandpa Tony wearing his little guy in the Tula at Trophy Point. Grandpa and his little guy are heart-melting.

------------Break---------

I jotted this note Tuesday but time got away from me, and am just now getting the format sorted out. When I should be finishing a due-tomorrow paper. Since then, we've had breakfast at Jones Farm, where Grandma and Grandpa got to witness the hilarious "back, chickens!" routine,

and bid a sad farewell. It was a terrific visit, and we're already counting down until next time. One of my favorite things Jayne does is commit to putting a "next visit" date on the calendar before the adieus. so we all have something to look forward to and the goodbye isn't so sad. (They're getting progressively harder as Finley gets better at conceptualizing time and space, as well as at calculating the heartwrenching impact of "I want my Grandma!" at bedtime.) I'm making reservations today: we have a date with the Easter bunny!