Where to begin

Well, it was wintery-mixing when I took Grace to school this morning, and the "real feel" was 25 degrees on the way home in the middle of the afternoon.  I guess this means that my denial is not working to keep winter away.  It also means that I really need to find a way to convince Grace to wear a hat, and that I need to find her mittens (we had them last week!).  You are forewarned, so begins the season of my complaining constantly about the weather.  I like seasons.  I really do.  But I dread January and February when all the novelty is gone and it is just so cold, too cold to think, and the wind whips nonstop, and your face and hands are chapped and dry, and it doesn't get above freezing for days and you start thinking in terms of when it will warm up enough to snow.

Anyway, after the chilly trip home from school, I made a Grace a cup of sipping chocolate, which she ate with a homemade cookie, and then she played for a while.  Eventually, we made a bowl of popcorn to share while watching a show on PBS.  Then she had a long bath while I made dinner and Henry played in his bouncer.  After her bath we actually sang songs from the Sound of Music together while brushing her hair.  And then - dinner, clean up, and bedtime with no arguing, just happy conversation, cooperation and laughter.  Errands and quality time with Henry while Grace was at school, a quick work call while nursing, then a lovely afternoon and evening with the family.  Heaven knows, tomorrow will probably be completely the opposite and I will be tearing my hair out, but today was one of those days where I felt like i was pulling it all off, and thus must be noted so I can point back to November 12, 2013 as the day when all hell did not break loose.  

So here we are, about halfway through fall, and just two weeks from Thanksgiving.  It seems that other than periodic ramblings, I have hardly posted about what we've been up to...  a lot of day to day juggling, looking for moments of fun and calm amidst what feels like a circus.  We have spent a lot of time with friends and family, taken some lovely fall hikes, had Saturday mornings at soccer practice and Sunday mornings at church.  Afternoons at the playground or wandering the city to the aquarium, library, or Common.  Picnics during the last warm days, cozy evenings at home on the first chilly nights, movie nights, weekdays rushing around, doctors appointments, four hour conference calls, World Series parade, sick baby, and sleep training and retraining.  And the dreaded end of daylight savings time.  It's all just the stuff of life... i read something a while back about how these are the good old days, and when I try to figure out where the last two months have gone, I see that.  Although sometimes I'm just so tired physically (Henry) or drained emotionally (Grace) or overwhelmed by to dos (work), that I fail to appreciate this phase for what it is.

But then, that baby boy flashes his smile or Grace makes him giggle and they both start laughing, and I remember.  

Sooooo, this was going to be a quick intro to a random smattering of the first photos I can find that say something about recent doings, and instead it is another post of me muttering haphazardly about feeling crazy all the time.  Whee!   Thanks for sticking with me.  Now pictures of cute children.

Puffy jackets and fall colors.  Grace was running around playing so we didn't catch her in these, but it was nice to get a couple with Henry.  I keep thinking that maybe we should all wear our puffy jackets for our Christmas picture, but then I fear the irony might be lost on some recipients, which would be mortifying so I guess we will skip that.  (Hopefully we will manage to get a Christmas picture that isn't secretly months old or in which Steve and I aren't fake smiling because we are in such a huge fight, both of which have happened but I will not admit which years.  Maybe we should just go with authentic, both kids in pajamas as Grace tries to pull Henry into her lap but they both fall over instead).

Steve was on call a couple weeks ago, and Emily spent the day with us.  Good friends are the ones who will hang out with you while the diaper rash covered baby has naked time and you fold laundry.  It was ridiculously warm and fall colors over the city were magical, and not at all captured in these photos. I got an adorable picture of Henry sleeping on Emm's shoulder... to follow when I get the pics from my phone.

A while back my friend Amy watched Henry so I could attend a volunteer organization board meeting.  She texted me the picture of Henry and her son asleep while taking her daughter to ballet.  Too cute.

Way back around the beginning of October we had a few warm days so squeezed in a few trips to the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Playing the piano with Rory.  There are pianos all over the city that say "play me i'm yours".

Henry and Clodagh.  She's just a few weeks older than Henry.

   

Hitting the fountains with Aunt June after gelato at our favorite (but maybe not kid-friendly as it turns out) cafe.  

Playing is exhausting. 

Soccer practice with Lily.  Amy hooked us up with a great, parent-run league in JP.  It's all practice, no games, and at a really pretty park.  I dreaded the thought of being a "soccer mom" but it turns out that hanging out with friends on a sunny morning while the kids get worn out is pretty fun.  This past weekend was the last session, and it was freezing.  Season ended just in time!

And that's all the random photos I have at my fingertips... more as soon as I sort the several hundred on my phone!