Out My Window

With a view like this, how can I not love my bedroom?

Creative People -- Maegan Dougherty

My friend Maegan is hosting a My Favorites photo contest on her website. Go check it out. My vote goes to a cute little girl sticking her tongue out...and for once I don't mean Rosie.

Looking over the photos Maegan has shot in 2011 made me think about the photo shoots she used to do for us, particularly our last official session in June of 2008. Rosie was exactly eight weeks old, a chubby little baby in a blue-with-white-polka-dot dress. Graham looked so handsome in his blue-with-red-stripes plaid shirt. And Cami radiated Cami-ness as she admired the rainbow Jason had painted on her face. The photos aren't available in Maegan's archive anymore. But her words are. They still make me tear up with appreciation for the family we can be in our best moments. Thank you, Maegan, for reminding me.

The River Wharfe

More Faces I Love

Violent

Cami wanted me to take photos of her being "violent." What do you think of these faces?

Playing (with my new camera) at the park

Faces

Graham's Love List

Graham told me yesterday that he loves me almost as much, just a teeny bit less, than his Special Love (aka Gracie).

If I were the jealous sort I think I'd find comfort in that. Graham frequently reports that he loves Jason just a teeny bit less than he loves Jason's iPhone.

Mr. Python

Cami was practicing her lines for the Christmas Eve Nativity, reciting the gentle words of Mary, handmaid of the Lord, when Jason burst out laughing.

"Know what I heard her say? 'Behold the hand grenade of the Lord'."

Happiness Is...

happiness is watching seagulls at daybreak

The Spirit of Mrs. Malaprop

Jason was helping Rosie in the bathroom and called her pull-up "underpants."

Rosie's response, "They aren't wonderpants."

Cute cut

Yesterday Rosie had an appointment to get her crazy curls back under control. As I collected her from preschool I reminded her where we were going. Her wailing response: But I don't want my hair cut! I'm already cute!

What is this like?

I'm currently reading a YA novel (The Medici Seal, if anyone is interested) in which Leonardo da Vinci is an important character. The narrator/protagonist describes how completely focused da Vinci could become -- to the point that time, physical conditions, and project assistants became non-existent.

I have a friend (LG--Hi!) who could block out the world when doing homework with Tori Amos playing in the background. Her powers of concentration still wow me.

Driving everybody home from school this afternoon, I was listening to an Irish novelist on the radio & he said something about the writing process that I am going to be mentally digesting for a long time: I'm so intent that it's as if I'm not there.

Happiness Is...

happiness is hearing Rosie play with Gracie: Mommy, put us in the oven (her bed), we need cooking -- we're baby biscuits!

It's beginning to look a lot like. . .

Freezing rain turned into this stuff. I promise, it was much prettier in person and frigid. When I took Rosie outside to play, she happily ate snowflakes as they fell into her mouth. But after three minutes she said, "It's too windy!" and we spent the rest of the day inside.

Happiness Is...

happiness is telling Graham we were about to play Little Drummer Boy & have him ask, "Is that rum-pa-pum?"

Happiness Is...

happiness is making the family's traditional birthday cake

Happiness Is...

happiness is helping out Gracie's cousin-twin (my cousin became a dad the same day I become a fourth-time mom) with productive advice