.....divine timing.....

....several days with the stomach bug this week forced us to slow down and take some time to rest....granted, the schedule hasn't actually been that packed, but living in a temporary residence 15 minutes from our future home has us in the car quite a bit......so to skip out on school, as well as the driving; plus the after school activities for a few days and instead fill them with pedialyte, applesauce, toast, coloring, crafts, trucks, puzzles and movies was a nice change.......and we all enjoyed the restful together time....a forced day of rest, if you will.....

....topped off with ice cream to celebrate going 24 hours without throwing up all over Momma.....

.....our favorite movie at the moment spawned our Halloween inspiration back in September.....even Brody is quoting the line, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"......not really, but we say it so much in this house that it may be his first phrase.....

....I began a parenting course at our new church and one of the first things we discussed was play........allowing our children to really be kids, giving them opportunities to explore with their imaginations, not being so quick to stifle creativity.......so our forced day of rest came at a time when the reminder of these essential lessons in parenting have been fresh on my mind.....

....I, too, wasn't feeling so hot.....so I pushed the chores aside and boy, did we play.....

.....and since I don't know how to french braid or have the patience to learn, we practiced other ways to take the traditional braid to a new level.....

.....Momma's working her creativity too.....

.....both braids were ratted messes within 15 minutes, so we'll keep trying....

.....we are also still trying to get Callie excited about her new school......I have learned after almost 5 years of parenting my children that some things in the life of a Momma are expected and some things completely blind sight us and leave us eyes wide open.....

.....we learn and understand each of our children uniquely.......we know how they tick, what makes them sad, how they like to enter a room, what their responses will be to certain kinds of strangers.....how they will greet a relative they haven't seen for a while, what condiments they will choose to dress their hotdogs, and whether they prefer a shower or a bath.....

.....after all of that knowing and anticipating; they will also throw the occasional curve ball......the more demure child will bust out dancing in a public place when they hear a song they like.....the typical rule follower will throw out a phrase using a word like stupid, hate or boring that stuns you because you don't use those words in your home, a typical non-reader will spend a quiet 20 minutes alone reading a new book from the library......and in our case, our gregarious, brave and fearless Callie does not want to go to school.....

....I won't get into the nitty gritty details, but the separation has been heart breaking.....I have had separation phases before with all three of my babes, but this phase takes the cake......last year, my 2 year old would barely hug me as she was running to circle time.....this year, she is sobbing and begging me to stay; while also telling me she would rather go back to NYC.....

.....change.....sometimes it gets the best of us......

.....although once she is there and settled, she loves it.....her teachers are angels for contributing to a class blog that allows me to use their pictures.....

....after 5 weeks, a lot of discussion with other Mommas, testing out different strategies on approaching the school days, cutting out at least 10 different pictures of my face in the shape of a heart, creating big girl behavior sticker charts, and fervently praying about this situation; she went to school on Friday without any tears......yes, there was a trembling lip; but there was not any sobbing, wailing, throwing herself down on the floor, tripping over chairs as she runs towards the door or bawling while barely making out words that break my heart.....

.....oh yes, I said I would avoid the details....

....she did it....although there will probably be other off days, this is a step in the right direction.....and she was rewarded with a Daddy date at a new confectionary shop in Old Greenwich.....seeing this picture of genuine Callie-ness came close to making the 5 weeks of angst for both of us well worth it.....

.....and now I need to focus some attention on the one who has seamlessly transitioned to a new school with all new friends.....Elsie, usually a bit more cautious and a creature of routine, has not only jumped right in to her new Pre K class after the first day, but she is also relishing in drop off birthday parties and comes home with weekly invites for play dates from new friends.....she thoughtfully writes notes to friends in her class, always sure to not leave anyone out.....she engages with her teachers, participates confidently in class discussions and rarely says good bye to me after I get her cubby organized in the morning.....I turn the corner to her classroom to say goodbye and see that she is already fully engaged in social exchanges, so I back off not to interrupt.....her timing of full blown independence couldn't have been better because Callie has needed a lot of my time during this transition.....the timing has been perfect.....

.....and when I say fully independent, that also means I stop myself after seeing her outfit that she's created and instead of saying the first thing that comes to mind, I tell her that her outfit for school is absolutely adorable.........

....our children stump us sometimes.....it is the unexpectedness that keeps us sharp.....we tend to look deeper, think harder, pray louder and listen more intently after we have been stumped.....sometimes these are our chances to learn lessons that may have been in front of us for a while, but we had to take a moment to really see.....

.....must rest up for another day of play......

....inspired.....

....Stefan has asked me if I am pregnant several times over the last few weeks.....the answer is an emphatic no, but I must say that I have an itch for change......and it's usually only when I have a bun in the oven that I feel this motivated to clean, organize, or shake it up, if you will....

....granted, we have had our fair share of rain....there was Irene....and this past week it was the remnants of a wet, stubborn one named Lee; causing all of us to be a little more crafty than usual......

....but this week has been different......

....we have gone from this.....

....to this....

      ....Brody was overdo for some wall space.....

.....we have said goodbye to this...

.....and hello to this.....

.....and it's not uncommon to find this around our walls....

.....and if they gave out samples of wallpaper, that too would be plastered in our foyer because I am determined to spice up our entry way and give it a bit of a face lift.....

....and for those that know me well.....like my husband.....crafty, artistic, and creative are not words that would roll off the tongue in describing me.....so Stefan scratches his head and asks, what has gotten into you?.....

.....maybe it's the shift in the upcoming new season.....maybe it's the fact that the girls both had their open houses at school today and I thrive on new routines and change.....maybe it's been all of the indoor play and hurricane parties.....

    ....Hurricane Irene brought building friends together.....

     ....and it also brought every toy we own out of their resting places....

      ....too tired to pick up.....

                               ...oh, hello Barbie's shoe that has been missing for months.....we have finally found you......

....but all of this drive for change has been brewing for a while....weeks ago, I decided to take a trip to Michaels to buy my necessities for changing our hallway.....our route was looking something like this and I was dead set on making it a fun adventure since Stefan was away that weekend on business.....

....a few blocks over, a few blocks up and then across the park....not a huge ordeal to get there, but certainly a big errand.....2.25 miles each way, which really isn't that much considering our main mode of transportation is walking......I guesstimated a 45 min walk there and home, and 30 min to buy a simple, easy supply list......if suburbia Moms could take their three kids to Michaels for a few items, so could I.....

....we weren't gone for two hours, we were gone for seven...

.....I'm not sure if I should begin retelling this trip starting off with the explosive diaper that occurred on our block two minutes after leaving, the pitstop three times in Central Park because Brody was basically hungry all day, or the decision that neither one of the girls was going to properly ride the kick board of the stroller anymore, so they sat as we cruised our route.....stopping every 50 feet, of course, to change positions because a kick board is not made for sitting.....

....or maybe I should rehash the part about how I bribed the girls with coloring books and ice cream for good behavior in the store since NYC does not have shopping carts in places like Michaels....the aisles can barely fit my stroller, let alone a shopping cart....those kind of inconveniences leave Mommas with unconstrained kids in art stores.....

...Callie's newest saying upon realizing I have discovered she has ditched her shoes......"shoes just aren't cumftible, Mom".....

....however, they scored their coloring books and ice cream before I realized we accidentally shop lifted two glue sticks.....that made for another conversation that would take an entire blog post.....

....I ran out of snacks, lunch time came when we were in a neighborhood I knew nothing about, we made two potty stops in random places throughout our journey, it was 90 degrees out and strollers have no AC, the blue spray paint for my picture frames never ended up in my shopping bag, which I realized after we got home from our 7 hour errand; and there were many times I asked myself out loud, why do I care this much for changing up my hallway?.....

....but there is beauty to be found in every adventure....even the ones you didn't ask for....

....oh yes.....and Brody wore just a diaper for most of the day because I did not have a change of clothes for him after the second blow out.....

....however, after being welcomed into our cool adobe after such a trek, we washed up and the girls did their thing so I could get started on mine....

.....breaking ever so often as Elsie and I taught Callie how to use scissors.....

                             ...so determined....

                               ....she did it!.....

.....all of us content in our projects and being home after such a day.....until we heard the rain spontaneously pouring down.....sending me in a complete frenzy since my newly painted frames were outside drying from their fresh coat of the exact color blue I had in my head when I imagined what these frames would look like paint job......

....I secured Brody in the stroller, threw shoes on the girls, hopped in the elevator, waiting impatiently as it slowly descended, ordered the girls to stay in the dry part of our basement, ran through the courtyard in the storm, arrived around back only to find my frames were gone....

.....my neighbors are some good peeps....

....being ordered to wait in the dry area when Mommy gets to run in the rain isn't very fun.....so we were all soaked....along with our frames....but everything was salvageable.....

.....leading Stefan back to the same question, especially after hearing about the Michaels escapade....what has gotten into you?.....

....and sometimes, we're hit with the motivation bug....sometimes, like a runners high or the yogi's yen, we are calmed into a place of initiating change that will continue to add fuel to the fire that burns within.....when the creativity brews, the shifting of one state to the next takes place.....or quite simply, sometimes it's just because we need a project so we can stand on our perch and holler out, yeah, baby, I did it.....we all need that sometimes and maybe I needed a seal of validation since the last few months have been relishing in the adjustment of a baby....

....regardless, I am in a place of constant fire right now......I am restless, constantly looking for ways to improve my dwelling harbor.....my home....and it feels good to channel this twitchy phase into some fresh, new looks.....my outlet right now is a creative place that only visits me on rare occasions.....so I will take it, embrace it and see what continues to transcend in our beloved 1050 square feet.....

....but for the record.....like Momma, like daughter.....Elsie found some discarded pictures that I decided not to use for Brody's baby book and she has decorated some of our bare walls too......

....and the decor continues even as we jaunt outside for errands....our man has his fair share of friends to keep him company thanks to his sisters.....

                                 

 .....inspiration in its finest form.....

 ....enjoy the weekend....

....hope your inspiration finds you.....

....pride and joy.....

.....it has literally felt like we have been sprinting since this special day occurred.....

.....my girl got all glammed up for her 2s class graduation, held Miss Lauren's hand and walked the red carpet across the room signifying the end of her first year of nursery school and the beginning of what has started out as an adventurous and exciting summer.... 

.....and leading up to her big day, she would refer to it as the celebration.....I'm not sure if they called it that in school or if this was something she made up, but a celebration it was......all of the parents proudly clicked their cameras documenting the day......me doing so and simultaneously balancing Brody over my shoulder, catching his head every so often when it would snap backward as I reached too far to try and capture her happiness......she was so proud.......

.....and all of the parents and children were able to mingle after the red carpet event......we talked about our summer plans, passed Brody around to those who hadn't met him yet, and said our good byes.......all in enough time before the sugar highs kicked in......

....and it seemed we didn't have a lot of time to talk about her achievement or discuss her ceremony because as soon as we got home, we were finishing up the final touches of packing and we were off to Texas.....

....and so our summer had begun.....one exciting event to look forward to after the next.....yes, some of the the events, such as trips and vacations are bigger than others......but we still get giddy and elated at the small adventures too.....

.....a quick day trip to NJ to see old friends and let the babes run wild was exhilarating in itself.....I treasure the anticipation of getting the girls all revved up about the plan for the day......because whether it's explaining a day trip to Jones Beach, our next vacation on a lake in North Carolina or revealing that a drive to NJ will take us over the George Washington Bridge where we can see our city's skyline, it's the same jolly, cheerful reaction every time......they are easy to please and we like that around here.....

....and we sure like our Daddy time....

.....I love to watch the three of them.....at times, I have this out of body experience when I hear myself screaming like a crazy person, Hi Callie....wave Elsie....girls, over here!!!.....having fun on the train with Daddy?.......I vaguely see others in my peripheral vision taking a minute to witness my boisterous manner.....I am jumping to get their attention, hailing their glance with my flailing arms; all while trying to snap the photo I want, actually make eye contact with them outside of my lens and rocking the stroller with one foot so that Brody stays in his rhythmic lull......I know I cause a minor scene, but I am willing to accept the staring and eye rolling because I want to document these sweet and innocent times where everything we do with them is exciting and fun.....and watching that pure and distinct joy they share with us because they're spending time with us gets me in a tizzy every time......

....and when the girls are off with their Daddy and there is a moment of waiting or a pause in the excitement, I am able to relish in the sweetness of my little man.....and lately Brody, or as Elsie has now named him, Honey-honey is all smiles......

.....and it seems we are all enjoying him to the fullest.....Elsie is emerging as my Mommy's helper.....giving me more assistance than she can even fathom when she can hold a bottle for a moment, fetch a burp cloth, reinsert the paci or change a diaper.....and yes, my 3.5 year old can change a wet diaper......it may require me refastening the tabs a bit tighter, but power to her because she is my little Mommy and I appreciate her so much......

....and Callie isn't far behind.....she had a big night on Friday when she and her Daddy both got their box of tools so they could take down the crib side, allowing Callie to have free reign in and out of her bed.....

....happy big girl......no more climbing in and out....no more loud thuds followed by a, I otay.....

......so now it was Callie's turn to show us how proud she was too.....obediently staying in her bed after lights out, just as we had asked her to do.....snoozing comfortably minutes after books and cuddle time......dreaming of the spectacular adventures that would follow for the rest of the weekend......

.....and even then, Elsie stayed close by her side....venturing out of her own bed to sleep next to her little Dootie on her first night without the protection of the crib side......

....savoring the sweet....

....off to find more joyful moments.....