Look who's standing

But she's not too happy about it once she gets there...

{baby jail...she hates it in there. having no access to her mama makes her cry.}

Nana, I know I have been a bad blogger this week! I promise to post a bunch of pictures before our trip so that you have lots to look at while we are gone. Oh and I also realize that my recent posts have been very Phoebe-centric. She is simply a more willing participant in my photo sessions than her big sister is. But I will try to post some Lucy-centric things soon.

typical.sunday.morning.

I'm not perfect

{yep, that's me. and phoebe, trying to assist with the photo}

I read a number of blogs...more than I probably even realize or care to admit. Some are of people I actually know, while many other are of people I only know through their blogs. Blogs give us a glimpse into a family's everyday life. They are so addictive because they play into our innate voyeuristic tendencies. They make us laugh and cry and cheer and hope and pray for people we don't even know. I don't know if this is good or bad, but I have to say that I really enjoy peeking into peoples' lives and seeing their families grow. However, I must admit something...blogs also make me a bit insecure. I think that despite the best efforts of well-intentioned mommy bloggers to portray real bits of their lives, blogs often display only the choicest bits when it really comes down to it. Digital photography allows us to take hundreds of pictures in one afternoon, leaving only the best ones & most artistic ones to post for the world to see. So our kids look to the world the way we want them to. And, of course, we write what we want to write...so our lives often look pretty darn great. Even those terribly hard parenting moments can be portrayed with a dose of sarcasm and wit...so easy to do in retrospect and in writing. All of this amounts to what I call "blogger insecurity" -- the feeling that your own family just doesn't measure up to the others you see in bloggy land. Admit it...you have felt the same way, right? That other families do cooler things, that other kids wear nicer clothes, that other houses are nicer, that other moms seem to enjoy their kids more, do nicer crafts...blah blah blah. I swear, it is harder than the normal comparisons that we all make to our friends and our friends' kids, because at least with actual live friends we can see the bad with the good. But with blogs, it is often just the good we see.

Anyway, I was thinking of all this today during a particularly difficult morning with my kids. I won't go into the boring specifics, but let's just say it was the kind of day in which I canceled a playdate and stayed in my pajamas until 2pm because I was just trying to do my best to mind the shop here without losing my mind. So I decided to start something called the "I'm not perfect" post in the hopes of starting something out there in blogland...something that will hopefully peel back some of the layers of our lives and let those people who peek into our lives see the ugliness, and I suppose in that the inherent beauty, of our regular lives. So here's the deal...if you decide you want to do this, too, pick up your camera RIGHT NOW. Go around your house and take a picture of everything that you would normally never, ever show on your blog. Be sure to include a self-portrait. And then post the photos (captions optional) in a post entitled, simply, "I'm not perfect." It is a liberating admission. Feel free to link to this post if you don't feel like explaining to your readers why you're doing this. Oh and if you do this and you don't know if I am a regular reader of your blog, please leave me a comment to let me know you did this. And pass it on...encourage all your readers to do the same. Together, we can start a revolution!

Ok, without further ado, a snapshot of my life from this morning:

{sink full of unwashed dishes}

{dead cell phone...charger couldn't be located for an hour}

{important paperwork? maybe...would help if i ever actually went through it}

{boxes from my birthday presents, given to me 2 weeks ago, still in the hallway}

{my bed, unmade, with my bag and its contents strewn all over it...looking for the cell phone charger}

{jeff's bags from his business trip this week...still on the floor}

{toys}

{tv ON to occupy toddler}

{breakfast dishes still on table well past breakfast}

Old Photo Friday: July 1986

{age 12, almost 13, on the verge of "womanhood"...}

Kimball Farm

We went to Jeff's annual company summer party at Kimball Farm this evening. Lucy had a ton of fun jumping in the bouncy castle...we could barely get her out of there. I even got into the fun activities by taking some swings at the driving range under Jeff's capable tutelage. I actually hit the ball into the air a few times, which as far as I'm concerned is pretty darned impressive (gotta remember...head down, eye on the ball). Of course, I took hundreds of photos...

{she's bearing weight on her legs!}

{what could be better than a bite of ice cream from your big sister?}

{our little tiger-in-training}

{queen of the bouncy castle}

{we're all glad that daddy is home!}

The Summer of '74

Six Months Old

Wow, am I ever behind on doing this post! Phoebe turned six months old last Tuesday. A whole half year. Where did the time go?

What can I say about her at six months...she is just so darn cute. Her personality is really starting to emerge. She loves Lucy SO much and follows her everywhere with her eyes and, now, her body. That's right, she is basically crawling! She pushes herself forward with her back legs and although her tummy is mostly on the floor still, she can get herself clear across a room with no problem. She is starting to get up on all fours and rock, so I think that full-on crawling will be happening soon. Batten down the hatches! When she wants something, she is like a girl on a mission...she really goes after it. Today I actually told Lucy to watch out because Phoebe was "on a mission to steal her sippy cup," to which Lucy replied, "no mission, Phoebe!" The girls are so cute together and I love to watch them play. I have even caught Lucy "reading" on of her Curious George books to her baby sister...priceless.

Here is an "action sequence" of her scooting across the crib to her "6 Months Old" sign:

{got it! and in the mouth it goes.}

She gobbles up solid food like a champ. Unlike Lucy, who would not open her mouth for nothin' at this age, Phoebers seems to really enjoy solid food. So far, she's had carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, avocados, baby cereal, and prunes, prunes, prunes! I was hoping the daily dose of prunes would help keep her more regular, but it really hasn't. I don't think I have posted about this before, but since her first week of life she has been a very irregular pooper. I used to worry about it but now I know that it's just part of "who she is" and that everything that goes in comes out eventually.

She's still not sleeping through the night on a regular basis...we've had a few nights of her going through until 6am but that is not the norm. She's still waking up to nurse at least once during the night, though thankfully she always goes right back to sleep. The bigger challenge lately has been her refusal to take good naps, though today we finally let her cry it out and she fell asleep and stayed asleep. It is painful to do, but in the end I think we are helping her learn to put herself to sleep, which is a good thing. She is still sleeping in a bassinet next to my bedside, but that will have to end very soon because she is outgrowing it and she needs to sleep in her own room in her crib. The two naps she took today were in her crib and I think that it helped her to have the extra leg room. I will miss her a lot, though, because I have gotten very used to her being next to me. But it's time to let go a bit...

This coming month holds some very exciting things for our family...a trip to Italy and a new house! We are so excited to have Phoebe here to share in all the good times.

Happy six months, Phoebe Grace. We love you right up to the moon and back.

Seven times five

{my presents to jeff...original encaustic paintings purchased on etsy from newbyart}

Jeff and I turned 35 last week...yes, both of us. We were born four days apart during the same heatwave in the summer of '73. So now, our birthdays are more like a season than a day. I often wonder if the girls will grow up thinking that everyone's mommy and daddy celebrate their birthdays together!

The festivities started last Monday, August 4, for Jeff's big day. I always give him a little "party" for just us and the kid(s) (one more this year than last!) I chose a Hawaiin beach party theme this year, complete with leis for us all and a grass skirt for the birthday boy. The girls got into the action by wearing their bathing suits. Unfortunately, Lucy had a fever all day and was generally punky all around, so she couldn't fully enjoy the party. She put on a brave face and did her best (far be it from her to miss a party) but she kept putting her head down on Jeff or the couch...poor baby! She was right as rain the next day, much to my relief.

{kisses}

{opening presents}

{chipwiches in lieu of cake!}

{bikini girl phoebers}

On Thursday night, I went out with Laura for some much-needed girl time. We got manis and pedis on Beacon Hill and then Laura treated me to a great dinner at Bin 26 (thanks, Laura!). On Friday (my birthday), my parents came to watch the girls and Jeff and I headed out for the afternoon and evening. We started out by getting massages at Exhale (thanks, Mom & Dad!), then got dressed up and went for a drink at the Oak Bar at the Copley Plaza followed by dinner at L'Espalier (thanks, sweetie!). Not a bad way to celebrate, and it eased the blow of turning 35 for sure.

{blowing out candles with lulu}

{posing with fifi, the littlest princess in the land}

{3 generations}

{jeff & me before heading out}

{post-massage, pre-dinner...self-portrait}

{i loved my dress...pretty, flowy, and comfy}

And because I like to look back, here's a photo of us celebrating Jeff's 30th in Madrid:

And mine, four days later, in London (international jet-setters that we are!):

{i love this photo...we displayed it at our wedding. that was another great day...i woke up and went to sleep at the savoy.}