grandma and grandpa to the rescue!

tomorrow daddy and i are stealing away for a weekend for two on the coast. we'll be enjoying some downtime, some fun times with friends and attending a fabulous wedding for two of our favorite people. its sure to be a phenomenal weekend. thank you grandparents for swooping in to snuggle the babies while we're away playing!

 petey and grandma playing with her iPad after naptime. he was fascinated.

 taking in the gorgeous sunset in carlsbad

 pete with grandma and grandpa in carlsbad at sunset

grandma and grandpa finally sampling our favorite fish tacos in san diego at harbor fish cafe in carlsbad village. sooooooo delicious!

helping with laundry

this kept her occupied for about 20 minutes today!

happy 8 months old (yesterday)

my darling blue-eyed betsy is eight months old. is it even possible? she's just a newborn in my mind. itty bitty and helpless. i'm not sure why i am still surprised every single day when she exhibits some new trick that is completely age appropriate but is just blowing my mind. she is sitting up with ease. she is extremely interested in finger foods and is managing the little cheerio-type puffs with gusto. i'm going to try giving her some finger food fruits this week. we've also introduced greek yogurt to her diet which she quite enjoyed with her sweet potatoes and cereal tonight. she is starting to use a sippy cup, with a bit of assistance and seems pleased with the cool water and apple juice flavors. she eyes all the yummy food the rest of us are eating with desperation, like she'd do anything to get her hands on it. she actually crawled 3 or 4 paces crawls (for lack of a better word, how do you measure a crawl?) today, up until now she's just been spotting a target and kamikazee rolling across the house toward it. two days ago she decided she was pretty bored looking at the world from the floor and is spending most of her awake time clinging to the coffee table top or the bar stool rungs or the window sill or just leaning against the sliding glass door (once i prop her up) to take in the world as it goes by from her new vantage point. she's really steady on her feet actually but still has that just-learning-to-stand stiffness in her legs and is often standing on point on her toes or with them curled under. she things her brother is hysterical and is starting to enjoy baxter's endless affections (generally in the form of licking her ears clean). and....now that she is 8 months old, she has determined that she really does actually prefer her momma over any other human on the planet, not because she thinks i'm a charming gal but because i am the one who gives her the momma milk. and she doesn't want to have it any other way. i am interested to see how this weekend goes with her grandparents in charge of soothing her to sleep while i run away with my husband for some much needed time for two. am already giving myself an anti-anxiety pep talk. i'm sure its normal but man i am already so sad about leaving my babies for 2.5 days (and yet totally ecstatic about the opportunity to get away). happy 8 months old my sweet gal!

little moments

 i can....almost.....reach.....it.....

 last day of daddy's holiday break at home with us

 watching the rain fall though the front window

 finally i get to be part of the action in the kitchen

 helping momma cook

 escaped from daddy at bathtime to play with the firetruck from ryan

 having seen the world from this perspective, she wants nothing to do with the floor.

she may skip crawling altogether and go straight to running

 

helping momma wash potatoes

twenty-eleven

new starts are one of my favorite things. the first day of a new year is inspiring to me: a whole new year ahead made up of lots of tiny moments to enjoy and magic to make. an empty calendar to fill with adventures and fun. memories just waiting to be made. and while most will tell you new years resolutions are made to be broken, i find they are a refreshing way to push me to ponder all that 2010 was (and wasn't) for me and my family, to dream and create and manifest the start to an even better, more fulfilling year for all of us.  it was fascinating to read what was on my mind one year ago today

new year. new beginning. time to reflect. time to rebuild. time to start something new. time to rejuvenate something old. rebuild the fire inside. restock the things that make you tick. give a little. receive what's given. listen....to yourself. to your loves. to your world.

we all have things we want to change and fix and restore and renew. we have things we want to tackle. to try. to test. we have goals we know we can accomplish. and resolutions we wonder if we can make reality.  and dreams we're afraid to say out loud.

and so in twenty-eleven, i'd like to focus on. . .
caring for myself by getting more sleep, and practicing yoga at least once a week.
creating a rhythm of predictability and peace for our days.
nourishing my most important relationships and seeking out some new ones.
play more - get to the other stuff later.
planning more to create an environment of childhood play for my kids-introducing new ways for them to interact with and explore this world and minimizing all the other activities that take away from their time to just be and do and play.
writing a letter a week to someone i love.
indulging my creative side and my love of gifting by homemaking with love as many of the gifts we give throughout the year as possible.
meal planning and making family dinners happen.
finding time for just me and my man.

and what about you? what are your plans for 2011?

new years eve

nose