Mid Summer Snapshots

::Every now and then I browse through my recent pictures and wonder, "Hm.  Where's Zosia?"  And the answer is exactly the same as when we ask that question in our own house, which is "Probably reading a book."  This child of mine is a voracious reader (if she were still up I could ask her how many pages she's read in the last year, but I think it's three million?  Four million?).  Ben and I are more than sympathetic to her cause, and I admire her ability to discreetly duck out and find a cosy place to read.  Can you think of a better way to spend summer vacation?  She found some Nancy Drew books at a yard sale this weekend, and has been reading them one by one.

::The retreat center I went to the other week had a cubby system to keep track of napkins, and it was such an effortless way to keep track of nearly 30 women's napkins from one meal to the next.  We have tried having unique napkin rings in the past, but it just has never quite worked from meal to meal, so I knew this was a system I would have to attempt at home, and it is a success!  Numbered according to birth order, starting from Ben, who is the oldest in the family.

::Josephine is five months old, and she is in the most perfect stage of babyhood.  Smiley and curious and yet still snuggly and... immobile.  I love it.

::Our big kids and their neighborhood friends put on a full fledged lemonade stand last weekend and those kids made some M O N E Y.  Granted, it was "dance on the street day" (You know you live in California when your whole town, including all of the streets, close down for a whole day to enable dancing on the street.  These Californians have some joie de vivre), so there was a lot of foot traffic.  Those kids juiced hundreds of lemons from our neighbor's yard, manned the stand for hours, and helped me bake all of the cookies and brownies.  I was definitely proud of them, and when they walked down to town all by themselves the next day to go shopping at the candy store I think they felt some gratification.

::These children of mine have weathered feet and sun on their faces all day long.

::Dinner is outside most evenings, weather permitting.  We have been working on more peaceful dinnertimes.  Doesn't that sound like it would be nice?  Those of you who have eaten with us know that our family grace is a verse of "Dona Nobis Pacem" which is a traditional latin hymn meaning "Grant Us Peace."  And there are definitely nights when dinner feels like a peaceful occasion, although there are also definitely nights when it feels like there are five hungry lion cubs trying to make sure they get their part of the kill (or perhaps even worse, the night when our lion cubs have full tummies and get bored about two minutes into the conversation, begging to be allowed to go and play). 

::Our resident little mommy, doing things like voluntarily giving the twins swimming lessons and humming as she spontaneously tidies the house.  This one was made to have little siblings, and I am so glad that she has not one but four!

::Gratuitous clothes line picture.  This thing still makes me so happy. I filled it three times today, and the clothing was dry in less than an hour.  I am amazed.  I actually happened to have an especially large load of laundry the other day which didn't all fit on the line, so I split it in half, and put half in the dryer and half out on the line as a race.  And the result was..... drumroll........ a tie!  But of course not as far as our electric bill is concerned.  I'm totally a convert.

::It is in my nature to always be scurrying around and picking things up, or preparing meals, or whatever other housework is at hand, but if I am sitting down, I am probably reading aloud to the kids.  I love that when Ben or I start reading a book, one by one the children start gathering around from whatever they might be doing to listen.

::The farmer's market that's right up the street from our house just started back up for the summer, and although there are several year round farmer's markets around, there's something about an event being right underfoot that makes us so much more likely to attend.  This week's haul included bread, tomatoes, stone fruit, mandatory flowers, and a bunch of veggies, which Ben decided weren't pretty enough to include in the picture.

It is really starting to feel like summer, and I love it!  How is your summer going?

This and That

::Our oven has been broken for going on three weeks, which means I have gotten very creative with dinner offerings!  I have realized just how much I rely on being able to throw something in the oven mid-day, cook it through the afternoon, and then serve it for dinner (allowing me to do the other many things I seem to need to do directly before dinner, such as homework, washing babies' hands and feet, or getting everyone out of the house for a walk or bike ride to keep people peppy).  Some non-oven favorites these past few weeks have included anything in the crockpot, cold dinners (like salads, cheese plates and vegetables, or boiled eggs), and then a few really fast dinners like gnocci, warmed up meatballs, and broccoli.  To tell you the truth, I've sort of found my oven free groove, I think!

::Clara has some very strong feelings about fashion choices.  Primarily, left to her own devices, her fall wardrobe would consist entirely of one of her older sibling's pajamas (preferably Hugo's), a bathing suit, or her own birthday suit.  She is actually sort of a genius when it comes to finding these things in the house, and once dressed in an actual baby outfit will immediately disappear upstairs, triumphantly returning with a bathing suit top, a set of pajamas, and a big smile on her face (clearly, it was simply a mistake she wasn't dressed in these things from the get go, right?!).  Dorothy shares these preferences but seems a little less stubborn about it all.  If you ever see one of the twins wearing something *other* than the above mentioned choices, know that it involved a great deal of cajoling, convincing, distraction, and possibly bribery.

::Hugo has started preschool at a lovely Montessori school, which means that the house is very quiet for a couple of hours every morning, he is exceptionally interested in helping around the house (thank you, Montessori method!), and he is officially growing up!  It's always so fun to see each of our children "go out into the world" in their own little ways, seeing how they interact with adults and kids, which activities they enjoy, and how they start to cultivate friendships and interests.  

It feels like the weather really wants to start cooling down around here.  We will have a couple of brisk mornings followed by a few really hot days.  When the mornings are cool, the big kids come down in the morning and immediately build a little nest for themselves, and it feels best to be in a sweater-- last weekend, we even had the outdoor fireplace going in the morning, and it was perfect. Needless to say, I am ready for fall to come!  

Ben's parents are visiting for a couple of weeks, and we've been loving their company.  They've had a pretty tough couple of years, and it amazes me how much love and patience they always have to share with all of us.  It is always a gift to find inspiration from those who have lived through more of life, seen more joys and sorrows, and have yet emerged with a strong sense of faith and purpose.  I always want to sit and take notes, because these things should be goals for all of us, right?  

Are you guys as excited as I am about the Pope's visit?!  I love this guy, not only because he is the spiritual leader of our church, but just because he is so authentically Catholic, lovingly and eloquently upholding the core orthodox teachings of our church (am I the only one who's puzzled by all these people on every possible side of the political spectrum who are outraged by things he's said?  Catholic teaching, you guys.  It's pretty constant, no surprises).  I'm sort of bummed I'm not on the East coast to soak in the atmosphere and energy, but I'm watching closely and praying for this visit!  

This and That

What would a Saturday morning be without a family outing?  Around here, the farmer's market is running a bit of a monopoly on Saturdays, leaving other local spots calm and quiet and ready for exploration.  I think Zosia and Hugo have the right idea.  Once you have had your hot chocolate, chai tea, or coffee, depending on your preference (chai tea all the way!), it only seems fitting that you would have a dance party, don't you think?  Just the perfect welcome to the weekend.

I love these pictures of teeny tiny NICU babies.  By some stroke of incredible luck, I have several friends having babies this month.  I got to hold one such newborn baby the other day, and I marvel at the incredible hope and possibility of every single life.  It is a miracle.

We are pretty big Pope Francis fans around here.  Isn't this a great idea?

For the past few years, we've been trying to get the bulk of our Christmas shopping done before the start of Advent.  It leaves the month of December free of scrambling and fretting, and free to do more of the joyful things that we actually associate with preparing for the birth of Jesus.  Which means this is go time!  I must say, this year I am feeling really excited about Christmas!

And just those two links feel like a paltry offering for you, but that's all I have.  Feel free to share if you've seen something awesome floating around the internet lately!

Thank you guys for the kind words, emails, and comments in response to my last post.  The first year of having a baby is a tricky one emotionally: can I hear an Amen from all of the women who have experienced some iteration of this?  Those early newborn weeks are pure bliss in this household.  But right around this ten month mark of post partum has always been a tricky one for me to navigate.  I have been through it before, and know that with hard work and faith, that difficulty has resulted in something incredible each and every time: a cross country move, epiphany, and discovering a new calling, to name a few.  I think that sometimes we as a society try to conceal or erase our dark nights, striking them from the record.  But there truly is a time for every purpose under heaven.  I write about it in this space because I try to be authentic and honest, and I know that many of us go through this, and that's okay!  I already feel an energy brewing for something new.  I can't wait to see what it might be.

Some Leisure Reading

Throughout the week, Ben is always sending me interesting articles he comes across.  I always read them, and they're usually really good!  So I thought I would share a few favorites from the past couple of weeks.

Here's an article that talks about sleep as a competitive advantage (as opposed to thinking of working extra long hours as the competitive advantage).  And if you think it's ironic to be writing about sleep when I have two babies in the house, you should look at this Ted talk about how we naturally sleep (Spoiler: it's not in a single stretch of eight consecutive hours!).  Mothers of nursing babies, you have to read it!  It will make you much more chill about that 2 am feeding.

I loved this article called Masters of Love.  It has some wonderful thoughts about ways to have a lasting, successful, marriage.  Years ago, when a newly engaged friend asked us for our best marriage advice, Ben had an immediate answer: Always assume positive intent.  Is your spouse late?  Messy?  Grumpy?  Did (s)he leave underwear on the floor in the bathroom?  The answer is the same: assume positive intent.  "Ah yes, a hermeneutic of generosity," our friend responded, which is a beautiful way of putting it.  Whatever you're going to call it, I strive every single day to live it out with Ben, with our kids, and with whoever I might come across.  It will change the way you look at the world.

This is exactly how I feel when I think about these babies growing up!  This little girl has captured my emotions to a T.  The best part is when the baby smiles at his sobbing sister.

Have you guys watched Bob's Burgers (link to one of our favorite episodes)?  It is a seriously funny adult show (definitely not for kiddos!), and I think you'll find the characters just as silly as we do.  Here's an interview with the cast which you should look at after you've watched a couple of episodes. Can you believe the way they cast those voice actors?

And here's some research that supports what I think many parents already know: it's play that makes kids smarter, not classroom time.  And with that, carry on with all of your summer adventures!

We're taking a bit of a technology break these coming days: looking forward to dropping in soon!

This and That

::"How old do you have to be to have your paintings in an art gallery?"  She pauses to consider.  "Probably six or seven."  She could color all day, and I am happy to let her.  There's nothing as motivating as doing what you love.

::Zosia, Lily, Ben and I have been reading Nancy Drew every evening after the littlest three are in bed.  I am hooked!  It makes me think that there just might be some mysteries right here that need to be solved.

::This little thing has spent the entire summer in line for the diving board, or jumping off of it.  A daredevil, to be sure, and fearless and a little sassy.  Of all my children, I see my own childhood personality reflected in this one. 

::Clara and Dorothy are on the move!  Slowly, but purposefully, and in exactly whichever direction they wish to go.  I don't think we've ever had a six month old crawler before, and here we have two!  And now is when I madly start to think of how to babyproof.


::Which means we have to enjoy our baby holding while we can!  I think we would be perfectly happy to keep these two girls as little babies for a little while longer, but they are eager for independence, and are well on their way towards attaining it.  Could someone please invent a way to freeze babies in time for a little while?  Any inventors out there?

::"I have something to tell you!" he tells me every morning when he wakes up.  "Today I will be" and then he inserts whoever the imaginary of the character might be.  Spiderman (though he's only ever encountered him in a book!), or a superhero, or a fireman.  He lives in his imagination, this one, and it's the most entertaining thing for all of us.  Yesterday, we spent the whole morning awaiting Spiderman, who was coming over for lunch ("Today I will be Spiderman's friend" was yesterday's announcement).  It turns out Spiderman likes to eat chicken, broccoli, eggs, pasta, and rice.  You know, good growing food.  Those superheros really need a lot of growing food.

::We walked down to see the fireworks with my sister, Aunt Irene, and cousin Grace (with Zosia and Lily, above).  After a couple of hours of rolling around the biggest hill in the neighborhood with every kid for a five mile radius, the fireworks finally went off.  Our big kids were pretty happy when they finally collapsed into bed at eleven at night.  The wild running, the noisy fireworks, the walk home in the dark, it's just the sort of thing I know will make a lasting memory.