vermont

we needed to procure our vermont state magnet and sunday seemed as good a time as any.  so, north we went.

have you ever had an afternoon that just seemed charmed? this was definitely one for us. we ventured into downtown brattleboro.  what a lovely surprise.   while the kiddos napped in the car, t.j. got us lunch at an amazing bakery/cafe (champagne vinaigrette, need i say more?).  once the kiddos awakened, we walked around their charming and thriving downtown.  we bought our magnet and a few other choice items.  we ended our time with coffee and lemon cake while sitting at window framing a river and a green mountain. 

on our way out of town, we talked about what it would be like to live there.  pretty sure i wouldn't like it come january, but it was just perfect on a july sunday. 

playground essentials

worcester has become quite the tour of playgrounds.  everyday, carlyle, luella, and i go to a park or two.  we have come across some amazing swingsets and jungle gyms.   this has led me to deeply ponder the playground essentials. 

1. baby swings.  this is always our first stop on the playground.  carlyle and luella seriously looooooovvve to swing. 

2. fence.  it is amazing to me that more parks do not fence in their playgrounds.  for parents of twin toddlers, fences are pretty much the best thing ever.  

3. shade.  i mean, who doesn't like shade?

4. a reasonable slide.  have you seen some of the slides out there?  i'm pretty sure some playgrounds are trying to convert to amusement park status with their crazy slide shenanigans.  all we need out of a slide is a normal incline and some room at the bottom so that we don't just fly off and fall on our faces.  a gentle spiral is also allowed and even encouraged.  

5. sand pit.  now, i realize that for some parents out there, sand pits might be a negative because, well, your kid gets covered in sand.  but, people, you have never seen two more engaged children.  car and lu sit for a very long time in the sand pit.  they sit.  this means i sit.  i sit and they sit.  for a long time. 


so there you have it.  now, this does not mean that all playgrounds have all the elements on my list.  but, many in mid-mass do.  how swell is that!

avalon

i told you we would return to the beach.  this time, we headed south to the jersey shore.  we met up with the fabulous caitlyn and her loving and generous parents.  our time together was brief but very delightful--ocean, crab cakes, games, blowing kisses (mama kraft taught the kids this new trick).

the kiddos were absolutely amazing in the car as we drove through new york traffic.  i really thought our kids were under some kind of spell...maybe they were just mesmerized by the big apple, or at least by the 10-year-old kid riding his bike on the highway (what!?). 

the beach is always good.  and it is infinitely better when you are sharing it with cherished people.  thank you, thank you kraft family.  i love you so. 

teacher/mom

as our children act more and more like real little children instead of just babies, i find myself saying phrases that roll off my tongue as if i had said them a thousand times.  and that is because, well, i have said them a thousand times...just not to my own children, but to all of the young students i have taught.  here is a sampling:

"use your words"

"how could you solve your problem?"

"good choice"

"that was a sad choice"

"hands should be helpful, not hurtful"

"we will play only on the area with wood chips"

"wood chips stay on the ground"

"that's not safe"

"that was so kind"



i suppose teaching prepared me to be a mother.

beach!

we spent the weekend visiting with t.j.'s uncle mike and aunt teresa.  they are truly two of the most fun and most loving people i know.  we had a great time with them.  they are incredibly good with the kiddos.  we also got to see t.j.'s cousins amanda and bonnie, as well as their respective beaus.  carlyle and luella did their best to entertain everyone.  it is funny to see how our kids light up and perform when other people are around.  we are loving being close to the larkin crew.

on sunday morning, t.j. and i took the kids to a nearby beach.  it was a wonderful morning.  i was sure to document our kids' reaction to seeing the ocean for the first time...

luella loved it right away:

after a few seconds of staring, carlyle decided it was a bit too overwhelming:

he did better once his daddy was holding him:

then, they both really started having fun digging up all the sand...they were so engaged:

while they dug, t.j. and i soaked up every moment of glorious beach time:

lucky us, we get to go the beach next weekend too!

worcester

well, here we find ourselves in the middle of massachusetts.  t.j. got another fellowship and is researching at this really cool archive for a whole month.  the kiddos and i are settling into a new routine as well.

when i was pregnant, t.j. and i talked fairly frequently about how we wanted to raise our kids.  it was (and still is) important to us that we try to share our life and the things we love with our children.  obviously, as everyone is quick to point out, children change your life.  our long, easy saturdays spent sleeping in, going off to a quiet lunch at a cafe, deciding at the last minute to go on some roadtrip--all of that is over, for sure, at least for now.  but, we are convinced there still must be a way to combine our children with some things we love to do.  i think this trip is an example of that.  we have always loved exploring new places.  sure, worcester wasn't necessarily on my original "let's explore this place" list, but it has already shown us some great stuff: majestic architecture, really really delicious ice cream from a nearby dairy, pretty trails by a water reservoir.

our family is on an adventure.   i'll keep you posted on what we find...

more confirmation

i handed this photo to carlyle and asked him "where's carlyle?". here is what he did:

yep.  he even thinks he looks like his daddy.

we heart kc

while we were living it up in columbia, carlyle and luella were charming their family in kansas city.  we were so excited to see them when we returned.  we haven't both been away from them for that long.  the kiddos did great without us though...thank goodness, and thank you papa and mimi!

we hung out in kc for a few more days.  we always wish we had more time, but what we had was really good.  we had some wonderful family time (swimming at the pool with the cousins, oklahoma joe's with jayme, talks with carmen, a visit from jenny, trimming trees with mike...i think you know only t.j. really did this one with mike, but i will say the rest of us intently observed) and t.j. and i even got to go out a bit (bluebird cafe, glace, blanc burgers, glace again). 

every time we leave kansas city, we are reminded how much we love it.  sure, it has very yummy restaurants and great places to go, but mostly it is the people.  some of the very best people we know.

enjoy a few more photos, folks:

playing in the incredible basement

a favorite kc pastime for car and lu: watching papa do projects outside.  i cannot tell you how many times i found both children glued to the window. 

luella showed off some of her dancing moves.  there is nothing quite like it.

thank you again, mimi and papa, for loving our children so well.  all four of us miss you.

como back for more

after leaving just a little over a year ago, we got to return to columbia.  t.j. and i left the kids in kansas city and made that oh-so-familiar two hour drive back to mid-missouri.  oh man, did it feel good to be back.  it felt so normal.  like we've been holding our breath for a year and could finally just exhale.

of course, things aren't just exactly the same as when we left.  there are some new shops, new road construction out by my school, oh and there are different people living in our house!  it was hard to drive by our little yellow house.  another huge change is what brought us out to columbia.  our dear friend jeremy got married!  we are so happy for the jer jer and for his wife, erin.  the wedding was so great.  t.j. was a groomsmen and got to give a toast at the reception.  also, the tremblers (his rockabilly band) got to play!  i even sang along on a handful of songs.  celebrating, making music and merriment with so great friends--more exhalations.

other than the wedding, we got to see and do a lot of what we have been craving to do for quite some time now--tacos and enchiladas at the rodeo (obvs), pastries at the uprise, drinks at the uprise, nachos bianco at addisons, shopping at poppy and at the butterfly tattoo, bumming around downtown, and just talking with many favorite people.

oh como, we love you and we miss you.  we'll try to como again soon.  

here is the happy groom.

the tremblers...they were so good.  if we still lived in columbia, i think they would be playing very regularly now.  you should see t.j. sing "folsom prison blues".  it is sensational. 

i just love this photo of t.j. and scott.  they are the best at being in a band together. 

sarah and me!  love this girl.  i'm so thankful that we got so much time with branden (see below) and her.  every little thing is fun with them.  i mean it. 

more good friendsies. 

love those rameys!