The boys are now at an age where I can take them to a park on a sunny day, bring my New Yorker, and read a bit. I’m no longer walking behind them waiting for them to fall, helping them go down the slide, or pushing them on the swings. Except when we come this park and there is an inevitable, “Mommy! Help me get down!” coming from Spencer.
At Graham’s school, there is a community garden. Once a month, the kids all eat a vegetable that comes from that garden. Graham came home from school saying, “I ate kale!” which made his vegetarian mother very proud. At the farmers’ market he was able to not only pick out the kale but identified it correctly as dinosaur kale.
The view from the house where we watched the Super Bowl. Can you imagine waking up to that every day?
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in a very cool neighborhood of Seattle and wanting a cup of coffee. I had to walk two whole blocks before I found a coffee shop. Now in this other very cool neighborhood there are two amazing options within 20 paces of each other. That’s more like it. A note on the color of the sky. I know you know that it rains in Seattle. In case you didn’t, it rains in Seattle. But it is also gray gray gray for days and days and days. This is kind of the constant color of the sky from November to June. Which is why people freak out on Twitter and Facebook and on their blogs when we have sunny days in the winter.
I remember wandering around bookstores when I was in my early 20’s and pretty broke. I would only let myself buy one thing and never a hardback book. I promised myself that someday, when I wasn’t broke, I would buy what books I wanted, several at a time if they spoke to me. Put me in an independent bookstore now and I can’t control myself. I know there is this thing called a Kindle. My husband even has one. But I am a book girl.
I realize that showing you my child’s drawings might be a little bit like telling you my dreams. In other words, you are not that interested. I can’t help it. Spencer’s drawings absolutely crack me up with the arms coming out of heads and no noses. This is our family (can’t you tell?) all jumping on trampolines.
Friday was “Bring Your Stuffy to School” day for Graham. I read the email and yet I forgot to pack his beloved friend in his backpack. His lovely teacher called me in the late morning telling me he was holding it together but if at all possible, to bring Hippo. So Hippo and I took a little trip to school.
Not only did I get flowers from my boys for Valentine’s Day, they came a few days early. I’m a lucky lady.
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Love it all! But, in particular, totally smiling at Spencer’s artwork and the photo of Hippo taking his belated run to school…go, Hippo!
Comment by Jana — February 12, 2012 @ 2:22 am
I’m a book girl also…always have been and always will be! There is no control in bookstores. None. At all.
Yay for kale eating! That’s a serious accomplishment!
Comment by Joanne — February 12, 2012 @ 2:24 am
i could never live there because of the lack of sun.
as a kid i would spend summers there with my grandparents.
great food all around
but now that i’m older the lack of sun really affects me
i wish we had more bookstores here….i love spending days doing just that
Comment by vanillasugarblog — February 12, 2012 @ 2:31 am
I love your boys. My own boy is smack in the middle of yours – I so relate. The photo of hippo in the car cracked me up – as did Spencer’s drawings. I love the trampolines.
Comment by Charlotte — February 12, 2012 @ 2:56 am
Ha! Go Graham! That’s so great he’s learning about vegetables at such an early age. It’s heartbreaking when kids can more easily identify a happy meal box than a vegetable, but I’m sure that’s not the case in your household, Dana!
Comment by Clara — February 14, 2012 @ 1:40 pm
LOVE THIS POST!!! I truly enjoy children’s art. It is so unique, careless, and free it just reminds me that children are such a gift! Also – I love how he knows it’s “dinosaur kale!”
I have a kindle (on my iPad) – but there are times where I prefer a hard back book! I am also guilty of buying both a soft (kindle) copy and a hard copy – ARGH! I do all of my reading during my commute to work, so the kindle is light load :)
Comment by Monique — February 14, 2012 @ 8:55 pm
I have been trying to find Penelope Lively’s new book to no avail. May I ask which bookstore you found it in? I love your blog too!
Comment by Maureen — February 19, 2012 @ 12:29 am