collecting for fairies

 

One of the first times the Noe's came over to our house I mentioned to Marissa (knowing she was a fan of whimsy as well as parties) if she'd be interested in throwing a fairy garden tea party with me.  Marissa looked at me with surprise and awe and said "I have already planned this party in my head."

I have always loved the idea of fairies.  I was blessed with a very imaginative oldest sister who taught me to believe in adventure and fairies.  Once, when my siblings and I were playing at a cousins in the woods of California, we found a trail of rose petals.  Curiously and eagerly we followed them further into the woods.  At the end of the trail we found my sister Mica sitting on a fallen log covered with moss.  We gathered 'round her as she told us fairy stories about how they lived and where they slept for what felt like a long time.  I'll never forget it!  I'd like to create that sense of magic and wonder for my own children, I hope.  I thought a fairy garden tea party would be a nice place to start.  I'm so happy to have found a friend that has the same wish! 

These pictures are just a taste of the adventuring that followed our joint idea.  We scoured several places around Lexington to find materials for our fairy houses.  It took me right back to my childhood, wondering how the fairies in my city live.  My favorite bit was looking at nature that closely.  Suddenly, everything was a unique building material.  It made me appreciate the details in nature around me to a much higher degree than taking in the whole.

It was especially fun to see our children exploring and taking in nature's details too. 

butterflies with the noes

One Friday morning, our friend called us to ask if we wanted to see the butterflies.  The last minute-ness of the request only added to our sense of adventure.  About an hour later we were off for a short trip to Cincinnati to visit the Khron Conservatory.

For whatever reason my camera decided to skip out on me after just a few snaps, so allow me to create a mental image of that room.  After we walked past the entrance of humongous succulents and cacti, through another green house of the hanging sea urchins shown above-- we stepped into a large glass room fluttering with movement wherever you turned.  It was a controlled, warm and very humid space, filled with plants, trees and flowers for the butterflies to land on.  There was something so otherworldly about standing there with these vastly unique and colorful creatures flitting around you.  If you were lucky and (wearing light and bright clothing apparently) the butterflies would land on you.  The first picture of Peter shows a butterfly sweetly on his shoulder of which Peter was oblivious.  If I go again I'll be sure to wear something other than gray.  The symbol of the butterfly is so incredible to me.  How could a bug so low to the ground with hundreds of tiny little legs transform to a delicate and colorfully winged creature? 

The last photo pictured is a butterfly I'd found whose wings were floppy and folded.  My friend who'd come to the conservatory before informed me that this butterfly had just shed his cocoon, his wings still soft and new.  I don't think I'll forget our afternoon of hundreds of butterflies very easily.

The rest of the day followed along our original spirit of adventure.  We lunched at an old tavern, clearly original with the mahogany bar and tall backed wood booths.  The menu was difficult to choose from and our orders were better than we'd hoped.  I ordered sweet potato fries with my avocado club sandwich and I think I may go back just for those.  They were large and flat with a crinkled cut and served with apple butter.  Delicious.  Peter's typical choice of mac and cheese was obviously an original recipe and baked.  I'm making my mouth water with the memory.

After lunch we walked down the street for our original purpose in going to the area: Aglemesis Brothers Ice Cream Shop.  This is where I wish my camera hadn't abandoned me.  So I've taken the liberty of posting a couple of photos of the shop I found online.

 

Photo Credit

 Photo Credit 

 

 Photo Credit

This is exactly what an ice cream shop ought to be wouldn't you say?  The pink details and stripes.  The small-tiled floor and the marble counter.  The 1920s Tiffany's lights and the uniform wire chairs.  It's so refreshing when a good original design remains and stays true.  It helps that the ice cream and treats were also exceptional.  My scoop of banana chocolate chip ice cream served in a little silver dish tasted so real.  No false banana or waxy chocolate.   I'm grateful to Marissa for sharing a cherished place of memory with me.  It made it all the better to know the charming personal history of the place for her.  I love the magic that attaches to a place set up for good memories which continues to build with each experience.   

Our day of fun did not end there.  We took a trip down to the riverfront to enjoy a new park along the edge of the Ohio River.  Though I'd love to share pictures of this, I may simply discipline myself to take my own and inspire a chance to go back.  The park was a brilliant use of space.  Every feature is clearly welcome to children, adolescents and adults alike.  Water features and a large step organ.  Life size checkers and chess.  Long and wide slides.  Stationary exercise equipment and bench swings.  A wide bike trail right along the river.  On and on.  I'll go back.  You'll see.

I'm grateful to my friend for thinking of us on their last minute adventure!  It inspired me to do more.  Step outside of routine and recognize the good efforts of the people and places around us.  It was a good reminder.  It reminded me that I love where I live.  I love our little Lexington and it's proximity to bigger cities.  It reminded me to explore.  It reminded me to pay attention to special events and cool opportunities. 

There's so much to appreciate in this life.

a letter to joanna

My Jo!

You're already four months old little girl!  Time has been a funny thing this year.  Going so slow and so fast at the same time.  I feel like I'm learning more and more about you every day.  You're different from your brother in a lot of ways.  You're definitely more introverted than he was/is.  Sometimes, when comforting you isn't working, I put you down on your play mat and you're good.  You just needed some alone time.  I totally get that.  But you're like me too in that when you need to feel connected, you really need it.  So, mommy holding you and squishing my face against yours is the only remedy to your mood sometimes too.  And that's fine by me. 

Peter makes you happy!  And that makes me happy.  He doesn't even have to be doing anything.  He'll just stand beside you and you will grin up at him and sometimes break out into a laugh just because he's talking to me.   I can't wait to see your relationship with him strengthen. 

I may not be interpreting this right,  so no worries lady.  But I get the sense sometimes that you feel things very deeply.  Your range of emotions is already so wide.  Your cries, coos, laughs, screams and squeals all display very specific emotions.  You're so little, so there are many things this could mean-- but I wonder if this is a preview of your passion and interaction with what's around you.

I'm excited to see what's ahead for you little one.  You're very vocal.  You moan a lot with your mouth closed.  "Mmmmmmmmm!  mmmmmmmmmmmm!"  You look just like a cabbage patch doll when you do it.  I find it adorable.  You squeal very loud when you're happy.  You're starting to laugh more and more and you're always very happy and smiley when we play with you.  You coo.  Sometimes your cooing sounds like you're telling us very important observations.  I look forward to those moans and coos turning into talking and singing.

You are super excited about eating solids already.  I've let you suck on an orange and a banana, and given you smidgen of avocado and every time your face was priceless.  A large open mouth ready for more, limbs crazy with excitement and eyes so big as if to say... "You mean there are different flavors?!"  All in good time darling!  

I love you.  I love you for sleeping through the night already.  I love it when you flap your arms and pump your legs when you're excited.  I love your grippy fingers on my clothes, fingers and hair.  Especially when you're eating.  I love that you smile with your whole face.  Your crinkly shining eyes, your scrunched up nose, your huge open mouth.  You light up our house!  I love you when you're happy.  I love you when you're sad.  And mad.  And tired.  And hungry.  And whatever else that comes with you.

Because you're mine.  And I am so grateful.

love you forever,

Mom

joanna's blessing

"...She will be a friend to the friendless, 

a voice for the voiceless,

and a light to those who are in the dark."

Photos by Sash, 150 year old dresses courtesy of Joanna's Nonna

peter says

Peter is talking more and more all the time.  It's my hope to record these things before they're forgotten.  And so..

 
"Keep Trying"

The first time he said it was when he was at dinner, frustrated that his food was not succumbing to his fork.  He had a moment of a disgruntled grunts, but then whispered to himself "keep... twy-ing."

Another time happened when a ball of his went under the car.  "keep... twy-ing," he encouraged himself, as he got down on his belly to reach under the car for his ball.  And then when he'd retrieved it yelled "I got it!"

While frosting a cake in the kitchen, I was talking to Ian in the next room.  Peter was of course right beside me watching the cake with fascination and anticipation.  I was telling Ian how I'd wished I was good at frosting cakes.  My desserts taste good but I rarely feel wonderful about how they look.  I finished by saying "I guess that's just not my talent."  And then Peter's little voice beside me said "Keep twy-ing, mommy."

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 Peter is my little extrovert.  He is filled with energy when he's around other people.  Even the excitement of seeing other people fills him with energy i.e. when we're getting ready to leave the house.  This makes it hard for him to stay in one place long enough for him to get dressed to go a lot of times.  A typical response from me is to say "Peter, focus.  I need you to come here."   The other morning, I was asking him to come into my bed for snuggles.  I wasn't ready to get up yet.  But Peter had other plans and didn't feel like joining me just then.  He expressed this by shouting "Mom!  Focus!"

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We were looking for butterflies at the park one afternoon.  And just as I became sure there weren't any, Peter saw a little yellow one.  "Let's gitt 'im!" he pronounced before running after it.  The butterfly moved quickly, and was soon far ahead.  "Come back... butterfly!" he called out.  

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Dad has learned that the way to help Peter leave without a fight from somewhere we're enjoying is to ask Peter to say goodbye.  "Say goodbye to the playground!" he'll say.  For a moment Peter will look sad but then quickly yell out "Bye playground!"  He's taken this thinking with him wherever we go.  If we see a worm along our path he'll stop for a moment and then exclaim "Bye worm!" before moving on.  Or an airplane in the sky.  "Bye airpwane!"  It's usually a long list when we leave a friends house.  "Bye bike! ... bye Wy-wah! (his friend)  ... bye cars!"  

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"Shoo!  That was... cwose." He mostly says this in a pre-calculated way, like after he specifically jumps off of something so he can say the phrase.

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One of my favorite things about Peter's speech is all of the pauses between words.  "Bat... man."  "Thanks... dad,"  "Hi Cas...tinn!" (our neighbor)  "Wanna watch...Jake!"  (Jake and the Neverland Pirates) "Gonna see... Nowaah?"  (his bestie)

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He is so sweet with Joanna, just as I thought he would be.  He's always holding her hand if he's close to her.  Typically in the car, or on the ground when he sits beside her to watch something.  One time in the car when she was crying he attempted to console her.  "Shhhh Jo-eenah.  Iss okay.  Iss okay."  On this particular time, she started to calm down.  "Iss workeen!" he shouted triumphantly.  Sometimes Peter gets frustrated when his consoling doesn't work.  "Iss okay.  Iss okay.  Iss!  Okay!  ISS OKAY!!"

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Sometimes going to bed is hard.  We'll come in to check on him when he's clearly upset.  "What's wrong, Peter?"   "I'm cryeen!"  he'll say.  Sometimes he'll lament by saying "I'm sad cry."  If we're lucky, he'll find his harmonica before going to bed.  He'll blow into the mouth organ in between crying out.  It's hard not to giggle and imagine he's in the clink.

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A game daddy started has started to catch on big time around here.  "Are you a... lamp?" he'll ask.  "Noooo," he'll respond with a silly smile.  "Are you a boy?"  "Yettthhhh."  Peter has started to ask the questions lately and I really need to record his little voice inflection in it.  "Aye you.... a mommy?"  but the end of his question is always really high pitched.  I'm enjoying his imagination in this.  "Aye you.... a sammich?"  "Aye you.... a gril?" (girl)  "Aye you.... Jo--eenah?"  "Aye you... a ray-bow?"

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The first time Peter heard thunder he gasped quietly, with a very sincere look of shock on his face as he whispers "Dino-sowes."  I thought it was a pretty accurate guess!

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Peter's prayers are my favorite.  His first *ever* prayer was the best thing I've ever heard.  "Henn Fader.  Iss okay.  A-min."  But now they sound like "Henn fader.  gibberishgibberish --stay.  gibberish gibberish trains ann a bridge. gibberishgibberish good-- dreams.  gibberishgibberish jo--eenah. innname.  Jeesiss Chrys.  A-min"

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My favorite word he says:  "Duh-wish-uss"

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"Cann I headge you?"

Yes.  You can always hold me.


Peter is currently 2 years old, nearing 3.