Little Monkey and Friends

In preparation for all the pictures I intend to take tomorrow, I spent a few minutes this afternoon playing around with Monkey Sr.'s new camera. I don't know the specs, I'm not a techie techie. It's a something, something. He got it at Costco. It's black. I'm not quite sure how it works. But it has the potential to take sharper pictures than the old one I've been using.

I just have to figure it out.



Today's photo-op? The vomit van, post pre-school pick up. Both monkeys are out of their car seats and goofing around with the buttons while we are parked in the driveway. Despite the bright natural light available at 11:30 in the morning, the picture has a pronounced blue tone. I call it the icy effect. Kind of interesting in a Jack Frost sort of way. I have no idea how to correct this. Flash? I thought it was on auto. God, I hate techie nonsense. It took me forever to learn the old camera.



I messed about with some buttons and got this. With these two at the wheel, we need to re-examine the limitations on our insurance policy. Check out Monkey's hair. I've been dropping subtle suggestions that we may need to visit the hair salon soon. In my own mind, I think I'm being subtle, but clearly not. Whatever I say sends the kid into a screaming fit of "No cut cut! No hair salon! No trim!" This kid is actually listening to me when I talk.



Miss Mina's hair is not much better. She doesn't care. I kind of respect that.



They both have sort of the same hair thing going on. It's interesting. People frequently comment on Jordan's very thick head of hair. At first, I just assumed he was blessed with this enormous bush of hair courtesy of his daily medication - cyclosporine. One of its side effects is extra hair. All over his body.

But then we had Mina. And she's a bit of a hairy beasty too...without the meds. Guess I can't use them as the excuse.



Once the monkeys had their fill of the van, they moved on to the herb garden. I'm proud of my fledgling herb garden. It's really more of an herbal forest at this point. A few tiny basil, oregano and parsley plants decided to go forth and multiply!! In a big way. Overall, my first year gardening was fun. It was great having fresh herbs every day for recipes. And definitely more cost-effective. I'm going to go out on a limb and try some composting next. We have so much food wastage in our house. Even with Oscar close at hand to vacuum up the scraps with his mouth.

I was a bit confused by some of the cross-pollinating going on among the herbs though. Planted so closely side to side, the basil and parsley did some unauthorized mingling. There are some strange hybrids mixed among the foliage that are unidentifiable.

But added Bonus of garden - it became an activity for the monkeys.

"Time to pluck some parsley."

"Jordan, I need your help with dinner. First, we have to pluck some basil."

How many toddlers do you know that can identify basil, parsley, oregano and blueberry bushes? (random planting this year.)

Downside. It's a distraction. Whenever we exit the van, instead of simply climbing up the side steps to the house, Jordan charges into the garden. "Time to pluck some parsley," he parrots back at me.

I've learned there's only so much you can do with parsley. But it does smell nice.



Back to the Halloween theme. There were a lot of last minute things that needed to be done tonight. Assembling the details on Jordan's costume, making sure Miss Mina's fit properly, buying juice boxes for the school party tomorrow, getting candy for the trick or treaters...and of course, carving the pumpkins.

Since there was no way in hell I was putting anything sharp in Monkey's hands, I modified his project by "painting" his jack o lantern. He threw himself into the task with a full body approach.



Not too bad. It could have been a lot messier. These paints clean up well.



Which is not to say he wasn't curious about the carving that J and I were doing at the table. This was Jessica's first pumpkin carving too. Carving was actually messier than than pumpkin painting with toddlers...believe it or not. Except when Miss Mina tried to eat the paint. That was lovely. I did not get a picture of that. Monkey Sr.'s camera is too new to be subjected to that kind of abuse.

For now.

Labels: autumn, holidays, two monkeys

Oh Halloween.

The best holiday.

Ever.

Today, I got the monkeys their first traditional Halloween plastic candy-collecting jack-o-lanterns. Since these things have probably never gone out of production, I won't call them retro. I decided they were way more authentic than the Halloween felt applique bags they were pushing in the stores this year.



Miss Mina spent the afternoon practicing carrying them around. Two at once! This child is nothing, if not ambitious.



After her brother woke up from his nap, he got in on the act. In a color-coordinated ensemble no less. When the possibility of candy is involved, Monkey taps into his inner reserves of strength.



Taking a break for a mandatory cute face shot...

Before we start practicing SCARY HALLOWEEN FACES!!!!



Give me candy! Give me candy, people!



No...no lifesavers, sweet tarts, skittles, twizzlers, or three musketeers! Come on.. I want the good stuff!! Reece's peanut butter cups, twix, snickers....



Ohhh...my belly! Too much candy.... Bwaaa

Labels: autumn, holidays

The Big Apple Circus is in town and we had front row seats (for free)!



This is the monkeys' first trip to the circus. Years past, we've attempted to attend this firm-sponsored event, but it never quite worked out. I can't believe I am able to look back on Monkey's infamous pre-circus meltdown and laugh about it. Two years later, we've worked up the courage to try again. We're older, wiser, and came prepared.




Presenting Beanie.... with Bunny in tow. This rancid bunny has had its floppy body dragged all over the country. It's just about the most vile thing I have ever seen; and of course, our daughter loves it with a passion, cannot sleep at night or nap without it, and bursts into tears when we try to leave it in her crib.

Tonight I was taking no chances. Bunny came along for his first circus too.



Little Monkey, being the worldly two year old that he is, no longer needs to drag his stuffed animals around for comfort. His cuddly stayed home, safe in bed. Which left Monkey's both arms free to engage in all manner of havoc and destruction. Like tearing down the Big Tent.



It was a great night. The lights, the colors, the clowns and music ... there was so much to keep them entertained. Both kids were transfixed. I am thrilled to report that neither one got scared, had a meltdown, or humiliated us too much.

Even Jordan.

He did have a few extremely wild moments immediately following his first taste of cotton candy. But I blame myself for that. In hindsight, it probably was not the best move to just hand him the whole bundle of spun sugar in one shot.



All right...I'll be honest. He ran around like a complete loon, and I found myself explaining repeatedly, "Umm..it's the cotton candy." to multiple parents, who just nodded in sympathy before running off after their own kids.



Beanie was much more dignified about the whole thing and strolled about contentedly. Bunny dragged about further, because he's just not dirty enough. Wisely, we cut out early while the going was good. Why push our luck, right? At that point we were already two hours past bedtime.

Quit while you're ahead, that's my motto in all things child related.

Labels: adventures, two monkeys

I get asked this a lot. I also sometimes get asked whether I'm their mother. That's my favorite.

Labels: two monkeys

I got to join Monkey at school today for a very special arts and crafts project. The project involved a rock. That's all I was told. Except, that it had to be a big one, and I had to supply it. Oh, and I had to show up at school, and find parking, less than two hours after dropping the monkey off in the first place.

I was very excited to see Monkey marched out to meet us in the parking lot. Note how nicely he is walking down the ramp, and even holding on to the railing. Only last week, he was reprimanded for racing down the same ramp. They are breaking him after all, I see.



I had a feeling paint was involved. That explains why we were all herded into the safety of the outdoors. Nothing to gain from spilling loads of orange and black paint all over the pristine floors of the school.



Monkey loves this kind of stuff. I admit it, I do too. The idea was to paint a jack-o-lantern on the rock using familiar shapes like circles, squares, triangles and rectangles. There were some templates provided, to inspire the kids. Monkey quickly abandoned that suggestion and tackled his rock free-form. I liked that. I know he knows his shapes. The circle-square-triangle thing is old hat for him. How many two year olds do you know that can identify an octagon? Jordan can. He's been identifying shapes for a long time. I didn't push the shape thing on a rock lesson. I was more interested in seeing him create a face.



Monkey's finished product. That one there in the middle.



You can kind of tell which kids have the alpha-mommies, and which ones just let the kids muck about with paint. In the end, some of us fall into the category of get-your-rock-from-the-backyard. And some go to Home Depot.

Our rock may have been a little quirky, our face a little impressionist..but we had fun.

Labels: autumn, Jordan, school

What a great weekend this turned out to be! The weather was beautiful, we had fun hanging out with friends, and we even managed to accomplish some things around the house.

Continuing with the "playdate" theme: On Saturday, we had a visit from some old friends. They came from a far away place known as Bay Ridge, Brooklyn - our former stomping grounds. In preparing the monkeys for the visit, I described it as a "playdate with Joe and Debbie."

One of the things I've noticed with Jordan is that he likes to know what's coming up. So, that morning, we discussed the day's events. One can never be too prepared, right? And what the hell, it makes for conversation..which, if you've ever attempted with a toddler...can be a challenge in its own right.

Me: So...first we have breakfast. Then we go upstairs and get dressed and ready for the day. Then we go to Home Depot. Then we go to Costco. Then we have lunch. Then we nap. And after nap...we have PLAYDATE with Joe and Debbie!!!

Jordan: Again...

Me: So...first we have breakfast...

And so on.



By the time Joe and Debbie were scheduled to arrive, the anticipation level had reached critical mass. Miss Mina was so excited, she had to wait at the open door for our guests. Shiny gold shoes on, of course.



Did I mention that this weekend also marked the first time in Jordan's thirty-three months on Earth that he had a lollipop? That's right. Saturday was lollipop initiation day, brought to you courtesy of Costco.

I admit, with some degree of shame and trepidation, that I unabashedly permit sugar in my kids' daily diet. Not only do I permit it, I manipulate, scheme and bribe them with sugar at every opportunity. I suck. I am a sucky parent who uses sugar to achieve all manner of actions I could not otherwise get from them on my own. Things like peace and quiet and eating a full meal.

I bribe them.

I use dessert as a bribe. I dangle the prospect of chocolate milk over Jordan's head like it was a winning lottery ticket. I tempt him with chocolate ice cream, and Trader Joe's lowfat chocolate cat cookies. Does he go along with it?

Yes.

Dear God, yes. Just about every time.

Is it any wonder I continue??

The Costco lollipop was one of those freebie samples they were pushing on unsuspecting patrons that morning. The table was littered with candy samples from their oversized bulk bag of candy, bundled together to be sold for Halloween. Never mind that Halloween is still quite a number of days away. Jordan spotted the table right away. Of course he did. It was the first thing you saw when you came into the store. Along with the Christmas decorations. (WTF people?? It's October?!?!)

I settled on the lollipop, thinking it was the lesser of all the evils on the table. I also figured it would take the whole shopping trip to finish. (How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll lollipop?)

I have never had such a quiet shopping experience with the Monkey.



He was still clutching that lollipop when we got home. Things got a little tricky when Miss Mina finally noticed it and wanted in on the action. She had been blissfully unaware of the lollipop the whole time at Costco, because, of course, she was in a separate cart. Monkey Sr. and I split them up now, divide the list between us, and meet back at the checkout aisle. Such is the wisdom gained from years of Costco adventures. Learn from us.



One would think that all the sugar in Monkey's diet would inhibit his normal eating. First, let me say, that in our house, I don't know what a normal toddler eats, since I have never experienced it.

Second, Monkey eats when he wants to. Some days, it's nothing. Sometimes, it's a lot. For example, this week at cooking class, he prepared a huge baked "grilled cheese sandwich" which he consumed in its entirety. On whole wheat bread no less. I cheered as the heavens opened up and angels sang. Other kids actually turned their little button noses up at the creation and refused to eat the sandwich because the bread was brown, or the crusts were on, or the cheese was funny.

Monkey at the whole thing. Then he played. Then he came home and ate an entire lunch with a sandwich, yogurt and fruit. I was floored.

I've read just about every book on toddler nutrition, picky eating, and creative kid recipes I could get my hands on in the last two years. I really deserve some type of honorary nutritionist degree, but I digress. There's a lot of advice out there, and a lot of sanctimonious preaching about the dangers of this particular food item verses that one. In the end, I subscribe to the philosophy of Ellyn Satter, who has written quite a bit about children and their eating issues.

She has some good things to say. Some suggestions work for us, some haven't. But I wholeheartedly agree with her assessment that children have a natural ability to regulate their own internal eating needs. They usually eat when they are hungry. They stop when they are full. And they will, over the course of a week, eat the proper amount of caloric intake for their bodies.

As long as we don't mess them up with our own issues.

And I've seen this. As much as Jordan loves his dessert, if he is full, he will often just take a taste, smile in contentment, and then ask to get down from the table. I'm always amazed by this, as I will consume an entire dessert from sheer gluttony, never once listening to my own internal hunger cues.

But for Jordan..he just knows. Sometimes he eats a ton. Sometimes he eats nothing at all. But it balances out. I've finally figured this out, and basically stopped stressing out about his eating. Hard to believe. I know.

Believe it or not, it's gotten much more pleasant at our dining table at mealtimes.



This is what they really think of my nonsense.

Labels: food aventures, friends, two monkeys

Can someone tell me when, exactly, parents began using the term "playdate?" When did it become an acceptable term in the lexicon of parenthood? And why am I able to actually utter this word in a conversation, while maintaining a straight face?

I remember once, at work (what feels like eons ago) my boss and I were chatting about his son, and how he had a playdate scheduled that afternoon with a friend from his building. I distinctly remember bursting out laughing.

Yeah. I've always been the consummate professional.

me: "A playdate? (barely concealed snorting) A play date?? You mean you scheduled a date? For your son? For someone to come over and play?? Really? I don't get it."

B: Yeah..that's what we do. It's different these days. You schedule these things. It's harder when you live in the city. Your kids don't just play with the kids next door. It's just more organized.

me: I don't think we ever had anything like a playdate growing up. We just played with whoever was around in the neighborhood. Whenever our moms had their friends over, they brought their kids and we were all expected to play and keep out of the way while the adults sat around and ate and did whatever they did. We spent a lot of time in the basements.

B: Yeah. Things are different these days.

I walked away with the kind of smug feeling of superiority resrved for singletons without children, that deserves to be smacked indiscriminately. Indeed, as I have come to learn, life has gotten more complicated, and playdates are a regular part of our week. So regular, in fact, that Monkey is able to recite our schedule verbatim.

"on Monday, we have school. On Tuesday, we have school. On Wednesday, we have school. On Thursday, we have playdate. On Friday, we go to cooking class at kiddie U.!"

He even discusses who he would like to have a playdate with.

Monkey: First nap, then go to Bandit's house for playdate. (Bandit is a cat, by the way.)

Or this one:

Monkey: First nap then have a playdate with Gina! (Gina is the mother of a little girl. Gina remains Monkey's idealized version of all things womanly..the object of his undying, unrequited love.)


This week's playdate consisted of moms and kids from our local mother's group. In keeping with the spirit of the season, we borrowed from Halloween themes and decorated accordingly.



But even before the table was fully set for snack time, Monkey spied the tell-tale box brought by a guest. "Munchkins?" He pondered aloud. "Want a munchkin??"

How did he know what was in the box?? I know he can't read yet. Was it the coloring of the box? He's had munchkins before. But jeesh...why can't he show this level of commitment to learning when it comes to circle time at school? Or potty training, for the love of God?



Meaningful interaction is an expected part of a good playdate. Here, Miss Mina demonstrates how not to do it. Notice the complete turning away from her compatriot. Two ships...floating side by side...completely indifferent to one another.



Once in awhile, the munchkins crossed boundaries and forced the issue. Usually, a coveted toy was involved. Sometimes all it takes is a good icebreaker.



Never underestimate the power of a good chocolate cupcake. It brings out the roar in even the most well-behaved toddler.



I was surprised by the Monkey at this week's playdate. For the first fifteen minutes, he was completely antisocial...hiding out in the living room, while all the kids congregated in the playroom. He didn't want to have anything to do with anybody despite several efforts to draw him out. Finally, I left him alone, and sure enough..he came into the playroom on his own accord.

There, he mingled freely with the guests, smiled nice for the mommies, and played alongside others at the chalkboard. Miss Mina was so shocked, she held on to her hat for support.



I took it all in stride until the point when he dragged his overstuffed Teddy bead into the middle of the room and began jumping up and down. At this point, it appeared as though Monkey was performing for the crowd, and having a grand time doing it. Whose kid was this??

Labels: autumn, Jordan, playdates

gets hijacked by the kids.



This past weekend, we had the chance to hang out with some college alum out in Long Island. This reunion has become a yearly one for the gang, and we always get a kick out it. As usual, my pictures focused more on the kids. I have a tendency to do that. Despite the lack of pictures to prove it, the adults had fun too. How could we not? Our hosts were gracious, there was plenty of food, lots of laughs, and even activities to keep the munchkins occupied. Thanks again James and Eileen for hosting this year. Entertaining a house full of big and little people, while simultaneously caring for three little ones of your own is no easy task. As a show of my gratitude, I nominate you guys for next year's bash.

Here's the plan. Let's take advantage of that fully enclosed back yard. Let's toss the kids in, lock the gate, and head to the nearest pub with a big screen tv and Jets game. We can set up the baby monitors to supervise. Or maybe we'll bring along the dog. He's great with kids.



Miss Mina thinks this is a fine idea. Having discovered the joy of walking, the thrill of mobility and independence, she don't need no stinkin' grown ups around to spoil her fun.



I am so out of here.



And the pumpkin's coming with me.



The afternoon's activities included a trip to the local farm. In addition to the pumpkins, they had an amazing play area. Complete with pirate ships! Does life get any better?



Yes! Dear God, it does!! Today is the greatest day I have ever known, the Monkey thinks. Today, I met Dora in person.

Dora. The Explorer. And she is larger than any human being I have ever seen.

Thank you, God.

He stared in awe, while I giggled and took pictures. Dora was looking a little raggedy, but the Monkey didn't seem to notice.

A most excellent reunion for us all.

Labels: adventures, autumn, friends

Just post pictures.

I kept the Monkey out of school today again because it looks like he's managed to come down with yet another bug. He had some diaper issues this morning, which are probably related to the antibiotics he's been on from his last bug, but later, he developed a fever as well. I can't quite tell where one illness ended and another began. All I know is he was home. I'll be keeping home tomorrow to monitor the fever. If it doesn't break, we get to go visit the doctor again.

But on a positive note, I feel a little more reassured about J's school situation. Tonight, his teacher called me at home. It was late in the evening, and I could hear her own young child in the background. Despite the fact that he was yelling for attention, she remained on the phone with me for a good half hour, talking about Jordan. She asked a lot of questions, I answered them as best I could. This is the second time she's called me at home to talk about Jordan, and I am still impressed that a teacher takes the time to do this.

I like her. She's not the enemy. She's trying to make school a positive experience for Jordan. She spends more time with other kids every day than she gets to spend with her own, and she wouldn't do that unless she cared about her job. I respect her for that.

We're going to see how things go in class. We're both going to keep working on it, and give the situation time to play itself out. In November, we'll have our first official parent teacher conference and evaluate where we are.

On an unrelated note, I'm watching a show that makes me feel really much calmer about my own life. Any other parents out there needing the same, should check it out. It's about a couple with eight kids - a set of twins, and a set of sextuplets.

Whew.

Labels: Jordan, school

or otherwise entitled...Mina's toxic bile.

First, the pictures. Then the rest of the story.

























This weekend, we took the kids to Alstede Farms, in Chester, NJ for pumpkin picking. I figured, it's Fall, my favorite time of the year. I love getting ready for Halloween. The weather looked to be beautiful. Let's get the kids outside, I thought. Let's wander among the gourds, catch a hayride, pick up some veggies at the farm stand, eat, look at the pretty fall colors. Sounds good in theory, right?

The trouble with all these grand adventures that I am always planning is that it's rare for things to actually turn out as I've envisioned in my own Martha-warped mind. In fact, it never looks like the magazine spreads. Events take on a life of their own; and that's usually ok. As long as you try to be flexible, try to see the humor in the situation, and accept your limitations...it's ok.

But sometimes, things go so horribly wrong, you just wonder why you bothered to leave the house at all. And why did you even consider leaving the house for some big adventure with two little monkeys who don't understand that they're supposed to be having fun, damn it.

To start, I guess the first problem was that the farm was an hour away. In a patently stupid move, I decided that we had had enough of our local pumpkin/apple farm, and needed to "try something new." That meant some farm I had only heard about from other moms; one that was considerably father away than I had expected; and undertaken with only the dimmest sense of its exact location somewhere in the interior of the Garden State.

It was also really, really hot.

In all fairness, the farm itself was awesome. Nestled on a bucolic stretch of countryside, the farm proudly glowed like a bright red strawberry in a patch of green. There was so much to see and do, including hay rides, corn mazes, petting animals, hay bales set up to climb, and pumpkins to pick. It was so much, it instantly overwhelmed our little brains.

We quickly decided on a plan of attack; and just as quickly the monkeys demonstrated their unwillingness to go along with it. The heat, the activity, the long car ride, the excitement of so much going on around them ....it totally threw them for a loop. One wanted to go one way, the other did not. Deep in the shadows of the corn maze, one wanted to run, the other wanted to be carried. One tried to slip off the trail. The other cried pitifully to be let down. One did not want to leave the pumpkin patch, and the other could not stand falling down repeatedly among the thick vines.

And it was really, really hot too.

But we put on a brave face, and forced fun upon our children. It looked like we were going to push on through to the end, and we almost made it. Except, that just as everyone was buckled into the car for the ride home, and we were on our way...

Miss Mina decided to heave all over the place in a display of vomiting worthy of an award. We're talking Linda Blair here. It was so bad. It was BAD. It was foul. It was collapse-in-a-heap-and-cry kind of bad.

Monkey's reaction? He sat there in the back seat and laughed.

"Beanie threwed up!" He announced. Then laughed. Again. And then she "threwed up" again. A lot. A big one. After which, of course, she cried. And then, once comforted, she was happy as a clam.

Since I had stupidly decided to sit back there with the kids, I shared in the bounty. And the smell. Despite valiant efforts at cleaning it up, our pitiful little Huggies wipes (for sensitive skin!) could not compete with Miss Mina's toxic bile. They performed pitifully in the face of such opposition.

We drove home for an hour immersed into the stench. Monkey and Mina decided to be helpful by screaming baby nonsense at the top of their lungs for the full hour.

Today...after at least a half dozen attempts at cleaning our minivan, it still smells. We've Resolved it, Fantastick'd it, doused it with Baking Soda, scrubbed it with soap and water, and vacuumed it repeatedly.

I am now the proud driver of Mommy's vomit van. I can't wait to pull up for preschool drop off tomorrow morning.

Labels: autumn, misadventures, two monkeys

I thought it appropriate to provide a visual representation of this week in a nutshell. What is that thing floating around in the commode? An east German communist era sanitary napkin?* A plastic bag? A $500 emergency plumbing bill about to happen?

No. This is my son's handiwork.

He decided he was done with diapers. "All done," as he likes to say. And in the spirit of that newfound certainty, he decided to dispose of them himself. Starting with the one he was wearing at the time. This was his solution.



Exit, stage left. Pants optional.

So maybe this was the big breakthrough, I thought. Maybe he was finally ready to take potty training seriously. What do I do? Now. Right now? Put the diaper back on? Let him run around commando and encourage him to tell me when he has to go? I had no idea.

Naturally, he had two accidents almost immediately, just for the hell of it. They weren't even real pees, for crying out loud. They were little spotty tinkles just to throw me off my game even more.

I wish I could say the weighty matter of potty training was my only worry this week. If that was it, I'd be a happy camper. Nah.

I also got to agonize over notes sent home from the teacher, emails and phone calls from her about Jordan's "transitioning problem." In English, that means he has been crying and fussing in school when asked to go from one activity to the next. He doesn't have a problem doing an activity once in the middle of it. He has a problem getting there. Apparently this is a huge problem, and if Jordan can't get his act together, I am supposed to evaluate whether he is ready for preschool.

Sigh.

The next day Jordan woke up with a roaring fever, complete lethargy, and rapid breathing. Monkey Sr. and I freaked out, and spent the rest of the day in and out of doctors offices, x-ray labs, and pharmacies. Tests have ruled out anything serious, but in the meantime, Miss Mina picked up the bug and the house has been buzzing with the lively sounds of kids hacking and sneezing and snotting all over me, themselves, and each other.

This is what happens when vacation is over. Life smacks you in the face twice for good measure.


* I only recently had the misfortune to discover what one of these things actually looks like, and it's a scary sight. Be careful whom you invite into your home people.

Labels: Jordan, misadventures

Where the water meets the land, amazing things may happen.



Miss Mina has only recently gotten a hang of the walking thing. Testing this skill out on the sand was a new challenge. Sometimes it worked...



And sometimes things got confusing.



But whether it was in the ocean, the pool, or the hottub, Miss Mina was a water baby at heart.



That look on her face?? Sheer glee as she hurled herself into the depths.



She happily splashed away the afternoon.



Back on the dunes, Monkey explored native flora. The vegetation was a pretty backdrop for hugs and kisses too.



Beach vacations have always been my preferred mode of relaxation. Part of me has always felt that it's not a real vacation unless I'm relaxing on a sandy beach, with the sun shining around me, and the ocean breeze cooling me off. A beach chair, a towel, a good book, a cool drink...I was a happy camper. I could lay immobile for hours.

Pre-kids, that whole lounging on the beach thing was my ideal. It still is...sort of...

But I have to say, the entertainment value of watching the monkeys frolic about in the sand and surf almost makes up for the loss of lounging time.

Almost.

Labels: summer, travelling, vacations

The light shines just a bit differently in some places- like the Outer Banks, NC.

Is it a geographical fluke? Is my perspective skewed by the sheer joy of being on vacation? Perhaps its the balmy ocean breezes clouding my vision. Whatever the case may be, the sun shines brighter down South. The light reflects a bit more golden. And I think the world looks more beautiful speckled with sunshine rays.



I've never aspired to be a morning person. Since having kids, it's become a fact of life though. Our howling monkeys awaken each day between 6:00 - 6:30. Most days, I lay there thinking "Why?" To be specific, I usually lay there for a few minutes having an internal dialogue with God (one-sided, thus far) that consists of the same daily query:

me: Why God? Why? Why so early? Why not just five more minutes? Please???

G-d: (silent laughter).

However, day break on the Outer Banks is something to experience no matter how many monkey chatters must be endured.



Mornings with the monkey on the deck were some of my favorite memories of our trip.



The smallest details were illuminated.



A few times, I got a chance to sip my morning coffee on the porch swing. Even the two or three sips I drank before resuming the task of running after the kids, were bliss.



Jordan found another use for the swing.



The light effect wasn't restricted to the early morning hours. It looked good at midday...



The late afternoon:



And sunset too:

Labels: summer, vacations