While listening to the Mary Poppins soundtrack: Oh, it’s a jolly holiday with Mary, Mary makes your heart so light. When the day is gray and ordinary, Mary makes the sun shine bright. Oh, happiness is bloomin’ all around her, the daffodils are smilin’ at the dove. When Mary holds your hand, you feel so grand, your heart
This weekend a friend stopped by and came to our door with a basketball under his arm. Before I even had a chance to say hello, Thomas looked at him and said, “HEY! That’s MY bas-at-ball!” Every basketball is Thomas’s basketball. Thomas loves basketball. If there are two things that mark him at this age they are:
This is one of the most simple, best ideas I’ve seen in a while, and we’ve had so much fun this summer participating. Ah, there’s one of the great things about this — anyone can participate. This project is easy, free, fun, inspires creativity, gets you outside, and encourages community. It does everything except fix
Thomas needs a haircut. I’m balking because I love his beautiful hair. It usually looks tousled and sweet, but occasionally looks really messy and unkempt. I know, I realize the insanity of assuming a two-year old boy ever looks anything but messy and unkempt. But there’s a difference between cute toddler unkempt and feral toddler messy.
I love summer. It is, by far, my favorite season. I love the long days, bare feet, pool parties. I love Popsicles on the porch and burgers on the grill. I love not having to keep track of my kids’ coats. This summer started out with a giant WHOMP WHOMP otherwise known as orthopedic surgery coupled with
In the past year or so David has become increasingly interested in creating. He loves to draw, color, paint, cut, glue, and everything else. I love watching him, in part because a few years ago he didn’t like any of it — coloring, using stickers, or even playing with Play-Doh at all. Anytime I brought out
If there is any silver lining to my thumb injury, it’s that we got to spend extended time with my mom. After my surgery my mom basically moved in with us. There was a whole battery of things that I simply couldn’t do (buckle carseats or life jackets, manipulate diaper tabs, lift Thomas in and
Technically, Mary Virginia’s first guess was right. Our kids have been suspecting a pregnancy for over a year (Mommy, do you have a baby in your belly? Then why is your belly so big?), and so once we found out we had another baby on the way, I was so, so excited to tell them.
This is the story of the weekend I cut my thumb. It involves a kidney stone, a block of gouda, and a surprise ending NO ONE saw coming. I’m going to try to make it as short as possible, but you know me… On the weekend of April 22 my parents came for a visit.
Since she was 15 months old, every time we go to the doctor for a well-check everyone comments on how verbal she is. It’s true, she is, and I take no credit. She could speak in complete, articulate paragraphs by 24 months and by three we were actively trying to discourage her language development. Just kidding. Kind
This post is a little out of order; I still haven’t written the entire story of what happened to my hand. That’s coming. But this is where I am now, exactly five weeks after surgery, nearly seven weeks after the injury. This is me giving a thumbs up. No, really. That’s all I got. Last week
On day seven of an 11-day stay at our house, Mary Virginia asked my mom, “Grammy, do you enjoy coming to visit your grandchildren?” I held my breath as I waited to hear her answer. My mom stayed with us for nearly five weeks after my tendon repair surgery. Even after changing all the diapers (diaper tabs
Thomas turned two last week, and we celebrated with the most low-key kids’ birthday celebration our family has ever seen. When David turned two I had an almost-three-month old and I still managed to mail out paper invitations. When Mary Virginia turned two, Thomas wasn’t even a month old, and I still made a cake
Mary Virginia: Mommy, do you want to hear the song I made to help Thomas stop fussing? Me: SURE! Mary Virginia: Quack, quack, quack goes the little feather duck! [Thomas continues fussing] David: Um, Mary Virginia. I think you need to make the song longer. Mary Virginia: QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK goes
Last week we celebrated the kids’ last day of school and David’s preschool graduation. Look at those excited faces! Those faces say WE CAN’T WAIT FOR SUMMER! We can’t wait to explore and go to the park and swim all day! And I’m like, AHA! JK KIDS! Mom only has one working arm so we
If you happen to follow me on Instagram, or have been within earshot of me within the past few weeks or so, you know that I hurt my hand recently. Here’s the short version of what happened. I’ll tell the whole story soon. It involves a kidney stone and has a surprise twist. But for
There’s a saying you hear occasionally if you have multiple children — if you have more than one child, having just one is like having none. I sort of agree with it. If I’m with just one of my three children, the chaos does diminish dramatically. Sometimes there are even moments of silence, moments between requests for snacks
For the past few weeks I’ve been watching flowers bloom my yard with what can only be described as sheer delight. We haven’t lived here for quite a year, we moved in after the azaleas had faded; the daffodils were a distant memory. Because of the foliage I knew to expect irises (but I didn’t know
I completely forget the circumstances that sent me there (which is maybe best?), but one day I was standing in the kitchen, shoving pretzels in my mouth faster than I could chew. Mary Virginia: Mommy, why are you eating pretzels like that? Me: Well, Dear, It’s because you’re stressing me out. Mary Virginia: [starts laughing] But,
I became a stay-at-home mom almost six years ago, and one thing (among many) I’ve struggled with for that entire six years is taking time for myself. It’s one aspect of parenting that doesn’t change. Kids go through all kinds of stages and phases, so my days and routines have changed drastically throughout the past
Recently I noticed that my motivation for creative activities with my kids has really plummeted. To my credit, I think it’s in part because my kids are much more likely to entertain themselves than they were two years ago. When I had a 3- and 1-year old, they were aimless unless I gave them direction —
Today is the first day of spring break! It’s exciting even if you’re only in preschool, which means your entire life is basically spring break! CELEBRATE!!! We have no big plans, which is my exact idea of the perfect way to spend a week. We plan to spend every day outside, playing with the hose,
We lost an hour for daylight saving time last week, or the week before, or actually who can keep track? Because turns out that hour we lost was the one we needed to function, to be able to walk through the living room without accidentally falling on the couch and sitting there for the rest of the
For Christmas we got the kids this great seed starter kit. The kids have really liked it, especially David. He was able to do most of the prep and sowing himself. The manufacturers apparently knew what they were doing because I warned David over and over and over that it would take at least seven days. David: But
When our kids were babies, we always sang the song “Sanctuary” before bedtime. Now that they’re older we’ve switched gears a bit to a version of, “IF YOU ASK FOR ONE MORE THING…” Nap times have always been a little different, especially Mary Virginia’s nap. For her nap I tell a story, then sing a
Here’s a story. Camellias aren’t super common where I grew up, so when I moved to Richmond I became sort of entranced by them. A bush with flowers that look like roses!? That blooms in the winter!? When Tom and I were buying a house for the first time, I put heavy preference on houses
A few weeks ago I realized our church’s annual Father Daughter Dance was coming up, but I hadn’t heard anything about it. I did some frantic poking around and asking questions and found out that it wasn’t happening this year. This was only a problem, of course, because Mary Virginia and I have been preparing for the dance
We were driving home from the playground one day and Mary Virginia announced that she was bored. I guess that’s what happens when you spend all morning frolicking at a playground. I was on the highway and focusing on the road so instead of my routine of twirling flaming batons to keep Queen Mary entertained, I said, “Ok! Let’s
We had blissfully unseasonable warm weather this week. These are the days that carry me through winter to spring. The rest of the week is supposed to feel much more like February, but I can tolerate it after three days of spring smack dab in the middle of winter. Perhaps the best part of these 70 degree February days
It’s kind of nice living in a place that completely shuts down when it snows. We only get snow a few times each year, so even the mildest dusting sends everyone screaming indoors, arms full of all the bread and milk they could stuff into their grocery carts. Schools close. Events are cancelled. It’s awesome.
I don’t often given parenting advice here. But. If you insist. My top two parenting tips are: 1. Hold off on introducing the song “First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the hairy chest” as long as possible. You might have a sleep-deprived, frustration-fueled moment when it SEEMS like
Last week I officially wrapped up a year of portraits of my children. A whole year and I didn’t miss even one week. I know, I’m even more shocked than you. An explanation of the 52 project. I really enjoyed the project for a lot of reasons. There were reasons I expected — I love having 52 photos
Our family is still in the midst of Christmas celebrations, but I’m pausing to catch my breathto post these photos. And, who knows, maybe after a few minutes on the couch I’ll have room for another slice of cinnamon bread. Instead of Christmas morning photos (which would be so much more relevant), these photos are from
I’ve been knitting. That’s what I’ve been doing. That’s why posting has been light, that’s why you might have seen me dragging yarn to the playground, knitting over cocktails on girls’ night, and stopping mid-conversation to count stitches. This year I made 48 hats, and every day Mary Virginia would cozy up to me and ask,
This is week 50, which is incredible for two reasons. First, at this point it’s safe to say that I’ve stuck to the project! Second, it means this year is almost over. The year feels long and short at the same time, especially when I look back at these photos; especially when I look at
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. David / This weekend David got to take home the class pet, Narni the narwhal. When he told me he was bringing home a narwhal I asked him where we were going to put the giant aquarium and his response let me know
This past week we celebrated Thanksgiving. We celebrated in town, out of town, and in the middle of it all we had a spur-of-the-moment celebration with out of town friends. I took very, very few photos over the holiday. Partially because I was busy visiting with family and partially because I needed my full attention
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. David / Making a beaded Christmas wreath ornament. Working on fine motor skills and Mommy’s patience. Mary Virginia / Sweet little marker-stained hands pat pat patting sugar cookie dough with her trusty sidekick Barbie dog. Thomas / I suppose the up side to having
This morning, before 8 o’clock, my kids dismantled the playroom. When I say “dismantled” I don’t mean they made a typically giant toddler mess, disproportionate to their small size. What I mean is they took apart their toy bins and moved around furniture. Thomas spent the morning wondering how we fit all of Disney World into our
It’s week 46. That means there are only six weeks left in 2016. And 41 shopping days before Christmas. As if we needed another reason to freak out this week… A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. David / I’ve taken so many pictures of David creating this year. (7
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. The three of them / This is from this weekend just before kickoff. My kids made my dreams come true by wearing Virginia Tech clothes and standing in close enough proximity for a photo. When Tom asked me to marry him, we went hiking and
The kids had their costumes planned for weeks, maybe even months before Halloween. An octopus for David, a butterfly fairy for Mary Virginia (heavy on the butterfly, light on the fairy), and a hand-me-down dragon for Thomas. Then the day before Halloween, Mary Virginia called an audible and switched to the most terrifying costume of
Here we are, on the other side of Halloween 2016 and can I just say: WHEW! We made it, guys. I don’t know what it is about walking with my family through our neighborhood in the dark that takes it out of me but MAN am I wiped out today, maybe for the rest of the
Pumpkins carved, candy in a big bowl, costumes ALMOST assembled. Tomorrow’s Halloween and the Kriegers are ready. Except for the teeny detail that Mary Virginia spiked a fever last night and so our princess butterfly might end up on the couch watching Sofia the First instead of trick-or-treating. It’s lose lose for everyone, because that’s
I know I’ve been posting a lot of afternoon photos of the kids in the backyard, but I just can’t help it. It’s like fall heard that it’s not my favorite season so it’s upping the ante with beautiful, golden light. Fall means winter is coming, so though I love the angle of the sun
As a blogger, I think carefully about what I publish here. There are a lot of things to consider, and at the top of the list is the fact that sometimes when I write about certain things, it feels like I’m tapping the universe on the shoulder and saying, “Hey, remember us?” As in, I
Every afternoon my two napping kids wake up around 4, and after a quick snack we go outside. When we first moved, my kids seemed uncomfortable and listless in the yard, which was a total shock to me. Our new yard is bigger and has more places to dig and explore, but they just weren’t really
Every afternoon we have about an hour after naps and before dinner, and I’m trying to get in the routine of going outside. I wish going outside to play only involved me saying, “KIDS! LET’S GO OUTSIDE TO PLAY!” But that’s simply not the case. I won’t bore you with the details but there are shoes and
In the summer, our neighborhood had Popsicle parties every Friday. I posted about it on Instagram and several people asked me about the logistics. It’s this simple: the person in charge of our neighborhood association emailed everyone at the beginning of the summer with a calendar. Anyone who wanted to host signed up for a
I’m trying to get the kids outside as much as possible. There are a hundred reasons, but at the top of the pile are 1) When we’re outside Thomas is happier and it’s almost impossible for him to get into the toilet from the yard 2) winter is coming. Like most of the south eastern