Town Mouse, Country Mouse

Marcos and I have this wild dream of living in a big city, like New York City, for a year or two, just to have the experience of being part of a big, crazy moving giant of a community.  

But then on the other hand, gosh does this suburban dwelling feel good!  This afternoon it was play time again in the cool fall afternoon.  But this time our neighbors joined us as well.

Le Cul De Sac kids.  Gigi loves our duplex neighbor boy Michael something fierce, and our across the street friend Maya is a sweety as well.  Today they all swapped vehicles, and tried out each other's rides.

As comfortable as he looks on the scooter, Orion does not pedal it by himself.  He rides well and loves the wind in his face, but Papai is the bronze of the operation!

Love, love, love these fall afternoons!

11 Down, 1 to Go!

Did you know that Orion just made 11 months?  It's hard to believe that one year has nearly gone by.

This boy is so physical, I can barely keep up with him.  He was walking at 9 months, and now at 11 months is pretty much running.  He has been climbing our stairs for months, but just learned how to get down them backwards.  He is happy carrying a ball around, dropping it, and running after it to pick it up again.  I try not to buy into gender stereotypes more than needed, but this little man's been such a BOY.

This boy eats with gusto.  He has a great appetite, and I love how independent he has become.  With only two teeth and two more on the way he can't eat everything we make for dinner, but I can now put a huge variety of foods out for him on his tray, and he will happily eat his way through steamed veggies, tofu, small pieces of meat, fruits, etc.  He is so satisfied to sit quietly and eat and eat - it warms my mother's heart to the core.

Orion has just started showing interest in a few words.  We're fairly certain that he says "ball", and "whoaaa" and every once in a while, "mama".  He is also starting to imitate so much of what we do: brushing his hair, pouring water over his head in the shower, picking up toys and putting them away (score!), etc.

And finally, the sibs.  Yay and sigh, yay and sigh.  They love each other dearly, and with things like family band practice it's all fun and games, but sometimes rough housing turns into squishing, and sometimes the squishing turns into tears.  You know.

And that's our sweet boy.  He is lovey and well tempered and flexible, and he adds a wonderful spirit to our home.  Love this little one!

Jordan Lake - Ward Campout

This year we did not win the contest for beach trips (0 so far) nor camping trips, but a chance came up in September to go to Jordan Lake for a one-nighter camping trip with our ward family, and I'm so glad that we got to go.  There is just something about being outdoors and near the lake that makes for a little rejuvenation.

Although I was planning for cold weather and didn't bring a swimsuit for her, Underpants Girl decided to go in the lake after she saw some friends splashing around.  It was a beautiful evening.  

When it got dark, I turned into Guitar Girl and busted out my solidly mediocre guitar skills to round up some campfire singing.  I had volunteered weeks before to do this (why? WHY?) and spent every night for a week practicing, but I'm not sure anyone noticed.  Luckily, my following was mainly small children who didn't care if I missed a chord on "Down by the Bay", or "I've been Working on the Railroad".  I would really love to be good at guitar someday.

Love these night shots Marcos took of us around the campfire.  You'll notice he's not actually IN any of the photos, because he was behind the camera the entire time.

That night I took Orion home for bed and left Gigi and Marcos to do a daddy daughter night.  In the morning we came back, and the guys were making breakfast.

And that was it!  Only a one nighter, but it was really nice to be outside with our friends and breath that fresh air.

A Day like Today

For a few days, maybe weeks, this unsettled feeling has been building in my body and mind.  It's a sort of unhappiness at the craziness of our lives, and a resentment towards projects and events on my plate that I want to be enjoying.  We've been maintaining our lives, our kids, our house, our relationship, but every night when we fall into bed I feel like the basics were covered but absolutely nothing else was accomplished.  I know that I am not special, and that this is the song of most parents of small children, but for whatever reason I balk at the thought that this is how things need to be.

I think that my biggest beef with life is that my favorite season has been marching on without me.  Leaves are turning yellow and red, and falling to the ground, the days are getting shorter and cooler, and my favorite holidays are approaching despite my inability to really engage with the changing of the world around me.  

Which is why I needed Today.  The day we decided to do not very much.  The day we walked around our yard searching for sticks for a Halloween tree, and read Halloween books from the library.  The day Gigi biked for such a long time in the leafy winds, with Orion running behind.

The day Orion fell in the mud and found the rain puddles, and played in the leaves and then slept.  And the day Mama and Gigi connected over hot apple cider and decorated our house for the holiday.

I really needed today.