Tuesday, July 26, 2011

...hello mojo....

.....I am not in a funk, but something has been off-kilter for a few weeks.....

.......I went to visit a friend who recently had surgery Sunday evening and brought Elsie with me.....I thought it was a good opportunity for some one on one with my eldest while Daddy man-handled the two youngsters......not only did I come home to a clean home, a happy baby and a smiling toddler, but I also arrived to surprise after surprise.....

......Brody immediately wanted to start his ritual when I arrived home....I scooped him up, bathed him and fed him......all the while the house was quiet, except for some adult music humming from the living area....Stefan cracked open the door to Brody's nursery just a few minutes before I laid him down to sleep to ask how much longer because dinner was going to be pretty awesome.......gourmet pork tenderloin with a tri-pepper rub, fresh green beans and sauteed onions with a garlic salad that Callie helped Stefan whip together.....apparently, as Stefan washed the romaine leaves, Callie patted them dry with paper towels and Brody laughed at this exchange sitting with them in his bumbo seat up on our kitchen bar.....As I heard about these happenings, while Stefan and I had a romantic meal alone while the girls watched a Handy Mandy, I wasn't sure to laugh at the sweet thought of the three of them spending quality time in the kitchen or scream because I have never prepared and served a meal like that since Brody has been born.....let alone served it before 8:00pm.....not to mention, all of the dead light bulbs in our house had also been replaced, the groceries were all put away, the dishwasher was completely emptied and he had managed to do this all cheerfully, while simultaneously being goofy with our children.....

....that isn't how it happens when I am left in charge.....

.....I feel like I am the tired, withered Mom who has the patience of a two year old.....I wake up exhausted, I'm using the TV way too much during this heat wave to occupy my kids, I can't seem to keep food in the refrigerator, the laundry hamper is unrecognizable under the mountain of clothes that runneth over and I have stacks of projects all over the place......bills, Brody's baby book, nursery school forms to fill out, car insurance documents that were due last week.....the list goes on.....

....to top off Stefan's night of glory, he finished it with unveiling a piece of strawberry cheesecake and reminded me that it's all a phase.....one of these days it will just click.....so I inhaled the cheesecake, sipped my wine, called it a night, snuggled up next to my husband and lo and behold for the first time in his three months of life, Brody slept through the night......


.....God knows what we need, when we need it....and I suddenly snapped out of it....

.....by the next morning, I had the three kids at the park by 9:30am, met a girlfriend I hadn't seen in ages, made turkey and beef meatballs for dinner during the girl's quiet time, which for the record did not include any tv, hit the gym for a cardio sculpting class and managed to serve Stefan dinner at 7:30 pm.....my mojo is back all thanks to a little sleep.....hallelujah.....

....and sleep does wonders.....our full throttle of a summer thus far has included some quality visits with family.....


....my Dad and Dawn were in NYC to visit and celebrate their anniversary.....we packed seven days into four and were blessed with incredibly gorgeous summer weather.....



.....a trip to visit just isn't a trip if it doesn't include NYC pizza.....so to make the experience a little unique, we took the water taxi to Brooklyn for some pie and sauntered over for ice cream on the water for our after dinner treat.....







.....we packed picnics, enjoyed views of our beloved city from many treasured spots, and jammed with Callie at her music class under the shady oak tree in one of my favorite areas in Central Park......







.....and for as much moving and shaking as we did, we also found some down time......some girly downtime.....




.....and thanks to Grandma Dawn's expert braiding technique and Elsie loving the result of sitting patiently for 10 minutes, the hair style of choice this summer has been braids, please......luckily I have talked her into wearing a big bun on top of her head fastened with a sparkly barrette because my homemade braids don't look as pretty.....



.....and not wanting to make Callie feel badly since she doesn't have long hair, we asked her if she would like a braid too.....I think she caught on to the fact that her braid may not look like ours, so she chose to participate in the photo op instead......



 ......and I have not picked up the camera very much since our family departed......I have either been too tired to go back and get it as I remember it's protective spot perched up high in our living area after I've already loaded up the stroller and bumped it down the five stairs of our stoop or it's with me, but I haven't been motivated to try and juggle snapping a few photos while tracking three babes at the park.....but having said earlier, my mojo is back.......and when my mojo resurfaces, my inspiration also returns......

......and inspiration keeps this blog going.......I have gotten to experience our visit with family over again sorting through the pictures and reliving the events that made the time so special......




.....so from one phase to the next, this blog will document these moments and help me savor it all....fun times, low times, sleepless times, sleep-full times, laundry heaps, foodless fridges, husband pep talks, family adventures, all of it.....


.....thanks for the visit Dad and Dawn.....we loved the tiresome and fun adventures.....xxoo

.....and here's to a week of more sleeping through the night.....