With her birth I became a mom. She keeps me hopping every day always trying to do my best and bring out the best in her.  We drive each other nuts sometimes but we always get back to a cuddle eventually. Here she is laughing at some well-timed potty humor to get a smile for the camera.

Down our street at the end is our wonderful neighborhood park, Waldo Park. We meet up with and make new friends there and it’s big enough to give the kids room to run, but small enough to keep an eye on the whole thing. It is an increadibly important part of our lives and where we spent over an hour this afternoon between Celia’s nap and making dinner, playing and taking a few pictures.

We do a lot of art around our house, painting, drawing, stamping, stickering and general mess making. Both of the girls art has progressed recently to new levels.

Josie has moved onto making some more realistic drawings, especially of people. She likes to draw in circles for joints and for other parts too. Everyone has eyes, nose and a face. She will listen to my direction for making an art project and follow the instructions before taking off in her own direction after she’s done what I ask. She has taken to making up her own projects giving me the directions and requirements. She likes to start off on an idea because she’s excited about a certain material, but sometimes has trouble coming up with the actual idea of a finished result or what part she can contribute, rather than just making me do the whole thing.  Josie loves doing art at school, and when they had two days in a row last week without any art because they had special events, she was seriously upset all afternoon. Celia probably doesn’t get to do as much art since Josie started at school since we just don’t have as much free time.

Celia has now moved on from making all circular motions and mixing all colors and things together to making up and down motions with her hands. Lots of stripes and single color paintings. She pretty much ignores the ‘project’ at hand unless I physically guide her hands and remove the art when it is ‘done’ according to my standards. So long as I’m fast she’ll tolerate my bossiness and is happier when she gets her own free play with the materials.

Here’s some of the stuff we’ve made in the last few months. Handprints are always a huge hit.

Torn pieces of tissue paper on contact paper to make a see-through dinosaur.

Both girls love to do body prints.

Celia’s general art these days, this one with markers. Lots of circles still with some back and forth lines.

A mixing primary colors project with finger painting. These last few are all from school, she brings home a few things each day, she likes to choose art projects at free play time.

These final pictures are Josie and Celia, with ‘angry faces’, to scare the witch.

Today I’m thankful for the seasons and with staying at home with the kids how I feel so much more connected to them. A few years of working and day after day seems more the same, but with the kids I’m outside every day and notice the smaller changes before they’re all gone and over. We decorate with seasonal crafts, eat seasonal foods and try to take advantage of seasonal activities. Here’s our little baby pumpkin from this year, it’s had a few trips falling down the stairs though at this point.

For a while it sat next to our upstairs-neighbors pumpkin, “making friends” as Celia put it.

We’ve lived in our little, old, drafty house for over ten years now and we’ve changed ourselves from two kids barely two years out of college to parents to two kids. This house has seen many changes and many developments as we change the furniture, and it’s inhabitants, some temporary some not. It’s been our home and it’s hard to imagine being anywhere else. This is the longest Jordi’s ever lived in any one house!

And while it’s getting fuller and we can see the time to move is coming nearer, I’m not ready to leave it or the neighborhood quite yet.

Music is always such a wonderful part of our days. From the early days when I’d take Josie to sing-a-longs where she’d spend the entire time nursing, seemingly not paying attention, to our 5:30 dance parties when we all just need to get it out before we can finally settle down at the end of the day. Here’s to my two music makers, who made the cats run around the house with their ears in alert by playing dueling harmonicas today.

Gloomy day here in Boston, we had snow and then rain. Amongst the visits and calls from several friends and my dad, we had a nice social day and I’m just so thrilled to have my little partner Cecilia with me each and every day. She’s my constant sidekick now that Josie’s in school more, and Josie even stayed through lunch today for the first time. I love getting to teach her and all the snuggles and enthusiasm that a two year old brings. Yay Cecilia!

Every parent loves nap time, but when you’ve got multiple kids and some don’t nap anymore that means a real chance for some one on one time with the big kid. Every afternoon from about 1:45 to 3, Celia sleeps and Josie and I get some time to spend together alone, like back in the olden days when it was just us two every day. We do school work, we read, we play games and do art. Not usually all on the same day. Today we did school work, read and played a version of ‘memory’.

Even though we miss him while he’s gone, I’m very thankful for Jordi’s job paying the bills and all that good stuff. I know he loves to work with the people he gets to see every day. And hopefully this travel thing will calm down again for a bit after a few trips lately.

And thanks to Josie who helped put cats on top of the suitcases (seriously how weren’t they already there? that’s where they ALWAYS ARE whenever we try to pack) and then pretended to be a cat for my picture taking needs.