kismet art

Back to School, 2014

Ben, age 12, 7th grade.

Current favorites:  his sister, Legos, Monty Python, reading, pasta with marinara and meatballs, sleeping in the tent, water slides, stop-motion animation, his parents (right Ben?), thinking about Winter Break, Legos, Legos, Legos... and much more. 

Emma, age 6, 1st grade.

Current favorites:  her brother, art, getting messy, cooking,waking up in the middle of the night, pasta pesto, pink (the color), dancing in the kitchen to Pink (the singer) as well as to other singers, stuffed animals, Legos, school, her parents, hugs, UniKitty, fall apples, making messes, stalling at bedtime, sleeping in the tent, M&M's, getting mail, adventures, and much more...

Halloween 2013

Clone Trooper (year 3) and Princess Leia.  I found a fun tutorial on using yarn to make braids for that Princess Leia "cinnamon bun" look- it was so easy I made a pair for myself as well.  I bet by the time Carrie Fisher spent a day running around on set she would have liked a pair of pink tennis shoes and some Minion socks to top off her costume.Star Wars Family at our friend Ali's house. Rainy and cold night for trick-or-treating, it did not slow anyone down (true blue Oregonians.)The bounty.Pumpkins. Squirrel snack.

 

Six

Dear Emma Rose,

I looked at the changes in these two photos side by side last night and had a "happy-tears" cry.  That sweet tiny baby is gone and the sweet girl who is growing and changing so very quickly has taken her place.  I feel so very lucky to be able to be here to watch it happen and be here to guide you along the way.

I have delighted this past week in hearing you declare to anyone within earshot that "I am going to be six in ___ days!" (psst... you are 6 now.) Never before have you been so overjoyed and aware of your upcoming birthday.  The last thing you told everyone last night before bed was "to be sure to remember to sing Happy Birthday to me in the morning."

Since starting kindergarten in September I have noticed so many things about you:

You pick out your own (mostly pink) outfits in the morning, dress on your own, brush your teeth/ pick out stories/ ready your room for sleep, you are beginning to read, you know your numbers/ letters, you help out more around the house, you have a fierce streak of empathy for others, you are vocal and demonstrative with your love of your friends and family, and you like a good, long belly laugh.

You have an overwhelming love of all things pink or filled with stuffing, you enjoy learning and going to school, you draw and paint constantly (hello multiple storage bins filled with art), you need the sound machine set to the sound of crickets chirping to fall asleep, you remember minute details and often upon waking you often finish the conversation you began at bedtime, you have the ablility to leave a hurricane-level mess in your wake, a certain level of joy you express most often when playing pretend/ dress-up/ dolls/or in the dirt, you fear being alone in the dark, and you can't help but sing and dance when you hear your favorite songs come on the radio.  

When I think about the day you were born I always think of how quickly Ben took to being your big brother. He had the biggest smile on his face when he held you for the first time and you have always been much more at ease when he is close by.  So many times Ben talks about how it is hard to remember life and our family before you were in it and how glad he is that you are his sister.  Ditto, Ben, ditto.

You, Emma Rose, are my sunshine, my bouncy, bubbly, energizer-bunny, my question asker, my constant talker, my go until you drop, cheerleader for the world, stuffed-animal loving little sunshine, and you most definitely make us all happier when skies are grey.

May the world continue to fill you with wonder, and may you continue to light up the world on this, your sixth birthday.

Love,

Mom

 

Twelve

 
Dear Ben,

Your last birthday before you become a teen is here and I truly do not understand how this has happened.

OK, I know how it happened but it is so very hard for me to grasp how quickly time is passing.  

Gone are Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, stuffed animals, and Duplos, but thankfully, not Legos.

Now there is homework everyday instead of extra playtime, chapter books instead of picture books, "real" movies instead of cartoons, board games or the Wii instead of peek-a-boo. 

Friday night I dropped you off at your first school dance and got almost as teary as I did your first day of kindergarten, and like that day I hid those "happy" tears until I drove away.  Where you once needed to be walked into a classroom holding my hand I now get to watch you walk up to a huge building alone or with friends without a look back (and yes I am there watching but glad that you feel confident and comfortable). 

Seemingly overnight you have your own sense of style, a willingness to try new things, more patience for your sister, you offer your help without being asked, a dry wit, and an affinity for fake moustaches, fedoras, and accents.

Things that have not changed- your sweet nature, your love of drawing and building, your super-awesome dance moves, your ability to make Emma laugh harder and louder than anyone else, your love of learning new things, your group of friends- most of whom you met in kindergarten, your love of observing and being in the natural world, your quiet side (until someone gets to know you), the way you contemplate what you are going to say (aka the long pause) before you say it, the fact that you still hang out in the playhouse, and that you give great hugs.

Some of my favorite time with you is spent when I take you to and from school or the library- just the two of us in the car getting a few moments to talk about anything.  Or the nights before bed when instead of reading you just want one of us in there with you to talk with or to just be in close proximity to.

I love that you still say "I love you" to each of us every day.

I am just so very proud of the young man that you are becoming and glad that you are not so big yet that I can't see just a bit of that little boy that you used to be in some of the things you do.

Happy 12th birthday Ben.  May this year be even better than the last.

Love,

Mom

July 2013, Lots of photos, few words

July, in photos:

backyard at sunset:birdbath reflection:

boy have the tomatoes grown in 30 short days:
what summer is all about:
Fourth of July feast:
followed by Fourth of July fireworks:

our annual trip to Camille's Black Dog Lavender Farm:someone's idea of feeding the snails is much different than mine... :
"the biggest fort we've ever made" and a "new", working phone from Grandma and Papa:
you've got this right Emma:
early morning sketches:
cousin fun:a brief but really great visit from Eric, one of Dave's oldest and dearest friends:and a visit with Rusty, Eric's partner -and my someday-future Paris companion: July, you came and went in a blink of an eye.

June 2013, Lots of photos, few words

Highlights from June:

meeting a new cousin celebrating my brother's birthday (and getting a photo of the 2 of us): the tomatoes are in the ground:first garden harvest:
fedora shopping with Ben:saying goodbye to grade school: saying hello to "Pins and Needles" and a good book read on the deck in the sunshine:tie dye success: first grilling of the season:father's day lunch:

tie dye happiness:my brother Joe graduates:
the guys go see the 20th anniversary of "Jurassic Park" in the appropriate gear:
the playhouse gets painted then photographed for our local paper:
fun at the Oregon coast:
goodbye June, you were so much fun that I never got around to posting these photos until now :)

April in Photos (even though we are a third of the way through May...)

Asparagus soup (because I just can't get enough of asparagus this time of year) A field of grape hyacinths in our neighborhood (I have only been meaning to get a photo of this brief bloom for 14 years)Finches in our Gravenstein apple tree:White Bleeding Heart at Hendricks Park:The way I'm trying to be:The way they are trying to be ;) All we need is:A blurry turkey who was trying to find a girlfriend (he is out of focus because it was raining so hard that my camera would only focus on the rain.)Big ol' jet airliner:My neighbors lilacs (every year he invites me over to pick a basketful)Molcajete at Los Dos Amigos(even better as leftovers the next day) and a much needed night out with friends:Painted Lady butterfly that our preschool class raised and released:

Lovely night sky:

Easter 2013 in Photos

A new favorite family photo (thanks Joe!)Pretty cloudsa nature walk near Delta PondsA Great Blue Heron catching a snakeSpeed racer egg huntA really busy week so we colored the eggs Easter morningWaiting...The finished productThe Golden Egg (someone's one request from the Easter Bunny)Deviled Eggs 2 Ukranian salads made by my brother JoeRoasted Potato/Veggie medly

Chinook Salmon

Oven roasted Asparagus Black Forest Chevre Brownies
Marionberry Cobbler (berries from my parents backyard)
And of course, Happy Lego Easter

Delta Ponds

We took advantage of a really sunny spring day and walked down a nature path about 10 minutes away from our home- so many cool sights to see including this turtle:wooly-bear caterpillarour state flower- the Oregon Grapechecking out birds through the spotting scopemore turtles on a log2 garter snakes sunning themselvesegret looking for foodLove that my parents still hold hands after almost 45 years of marriage.More nature walks as a family are defintely on the list this year.

Celebrate

I love birthdays, yours, mine, his, hers.  I love shopping for gifts, and making a card, and most of all getting together with that special someone to celebrate them.

And this year I came down with a nasty virus right before my birthday, so my family postponed our get-together until we could all be together- here is a little taste of my birthday:

2013- the cake: The cake bakers: Lunch with my family at one of my favorite Eugene restaurants, Noli:Me, the one who usually takes all the photos, ready to have the camera back (yet secretly happy to have a photo of me at lunch):Salad,shared with my mom:

"Pirate Pasta", aka penne, with cheese for Emma:
Spaghetti with extra meatballs for Ben:
Minestrone soup with a grilled veggie sandwich for me:
Pasta with seafood for my brother Joe:
Carbonara Pasta for Dave: dessert at home...The best kind of birthday, filled with really delicious food, lots of laughter, and people I love.  Oh, and cake, of course.

Here's to year 43!