If Thomas could talk and you asked him about his family, he would probably tell you that he has a brother, a father, and two mothers. These two mothers are mysteriously, constantly at odds. One is best described as a doting bully. Very attentive, but also, quite frankly, dangerous. The second mother spends most of
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2016. David / Recently David has shown fascination with letters, words, and sounds. Here, he walked into the kitchen, sat on the floor, and asked me to spell Amelia Bedelia. I spelled it, slowly, and then he ran back into his room to continue drawing. I
Week 14 was spring break. We’d planned on fun outings but our only outing was a trip to the doctor. That’s just how it goes, I suppose. We still had enjoyed our lazy week at home, making messes and having fun doing normal, wonderful things — reading books, coloring, playing play dough, and running around in the
Growing up we always dyed Easter eggs on the night before Easter, so I planned to do the same thing with my kids. This year, I had meant to prepare by boiling the eggs and setting aside bowls and food coloring, but the whole thing completely slipped my mind. The whole thing slipped my mind
After breakfast, the kids were asking about our plans for the day… Me: Guys, I have a great idea! Let’s have a Mommy Day! Let’s just do all the things that Mommy does ALL DAY! So we’ll be cleaning and doing chores… David: Um, Mommy? If we just do what you do then we’d just
Today is Easter, and it was so chaotic that taking a family photo didn’t even cross our minds. But I did manage to snap a few in the morning. These are after Easter baskets and breakfast; before tucking in shirts and church. David & Thomas / The boys had matching shirts for Easter. Wearing the
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016… David / In the past few months David has been refusing baths, so we’re pulling out all the stops: showers, bubbles, bath paints, toys, bribes, threats. David loves the water, so this bit of stubbornness is frustrating much like when Mary Virginia would refuse to sleep at
The other day I was playing with Mary Virginia, and I was just struck by how lovely and sweet she is and how thankful I am to be her mommy. So I told her, “Mary Virginia, did you know that I used to pray that God would give me a daughter? I prayed that God would put a baby
Last fall I took the kids to get new shoes before school. I went to a particular store in Richmond, one that has a reputation for how well they measure and fit shoes for children. Because of this reputation, I consciously ignore their high prices and the 47 other shoe stores I pass while driving
One thing I’ve liked about this project is that it allows me to record little bits of information I wouldn’t write about otherwise. Every photo, every week, is a vignette — in photos and words — of my children. My intent wasn’t to do that. My intent was to include a photo and a brief sentence; just
A few weeks ago I was filling out a preschool application for Mary Virginia. The application asked lots of questions to help the teachers get to know her, including some of her social and academic skills. One question asked which numbers she could recognize, and I wasn’t sure how to answer. Then I thought about
Spring won’t officially be here for a couple of weeks, but is sure feels like spring. And all this sunshine does a world of good. A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. All three of them / On the first warm day of the season, I re-introduced our children’s third parent: the water table. Thirty seconds in and
Last weekend Thomas’s bottom teeth finally poked through. They took forever. I’m not exaggerating, I could SEE them just under his gums for a month. A MONTH. I don’t know what happened. Maybe they forgot something and had to go back? Maybe they ran out of gas on the way? I have no idea. I just hope
Have you ever noticed that my horizontal photos are just a bit squished? It’s because the theme and framework on my blog is just a few pixels too small. It irritates me, but not enough to fix it. (It’s been like that for two years!) Until I fix it, if you click on my photos,
Last fall we were struggling to get in the flow of the preschool schedule. It’s a lot — getting all three kids and myself fed, dressed, and out the door with all their bickering and necessary bags. Plus, Thomas was still very new, and I was spending much of the night awake with him. The year
Just when I thought this was becoming an easy habit, I completely forgot to take photos this week. Thankfully we had an unseasonably warm Saturday, and playing in the front yard feels special enough for photos. There’s a link-up below for anyone interested, even if you aren’t specifically participating in the 52 project. But if
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. I hadn’t intended on a theme for this week. Actually, yes I had. I intended to take Valentine’s-themed photos. Then I dressed Mary Virginia in the most adorable Valentine’s Day outfit, and a different theme emerged. These are all taken from above, which
Recently in the afternoons, while my younger two nap, I’ve been listening to the most popular TED talks of 2015. TED talks are so great, they’re relatively brief but pack in so much new information and perspectives that challenge you to think in new ways. Since I started this new habit, when Tom comes home from
Groundhog Day was last week, and Punxsutawny Phil predicted an early spring. Not that I care. Not that I’m counting down the days until it’s so warm that I no longer have to sing winter’s Getting Ready With Toddlers song, which goes like this, “Go get your coat. Where is your coat? Go find your
I call these photos “The Crib Series.” I didn’t intend on a theme, it just happened. I first snapped Mary Virginia’s flip, then a few days later I spied Thomas looking over the rail. So I looked at David and said, “Show me whatcha got, kid.” David / I asked David to see if he
Recently I posted a photo on Instagram with an ambiguous caption. I mostly posted the photo because of the struggle I often feel as a stay at home mom, the feeling when something incredible or hilarious happens and you have no one to share it with but an eight-month old baby or a toddler who does
On our way to preschool we drive on a number of roads, several that are two-lane, most that have a 35 mph speed limit. None of that matters to David, who thinks our Toyota Sienna is racing in the Daytona 500. David: Mommy! Go faster! We’re losing! Can you pass that guy!? Can you race
It’s only week five and I’m already breaking my own rules for this project. I’d planned to not re-post images. The 52 project images should be new; ones that I haven’t already used for a different post. I already used these photos for another post, but I’m posting them anyway. Because I am a person who
If you’ve read this website for three or four minutes you might already know that winter is not my favorite season. I’ve been known to shiver uncontrollably as soon as the temperatures dip below 70 degrees. When we started hearing about Snowstorm Jonas I just ignored it because that’s my favorite way to deal with problems. I act
It’s week four and snow is falling outside at impossible rates. I’m trying to distract myself from the worry that we’ll lose power by writing this post. (It’s not working.) David / The hum of the nebulizer has become commonplace in the past week or so. David’s actually gotten pretty good at it. If you’re looking for a non-screen toy
This is just week three and I can already tell I’m taking more pictures. We had a stressful week and I still had several photos to choose from. It’s not too late to join in; link up with your own 52 project, or other captures from the week. David / Recently the kids’ door broke and we’re in
A photo of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016 David / Mommy, is this a smile? Yes, it is. Do you want to take a picture of it? Yes, I do. (Phew! That was easy!) Mary Virginia / Tom has been taking the kids swimming at a nearby gym. When he told
When I had David I constantly thought about what it would be like to have more than one child. My day was so full — so consumed. From the moment he woke up in the morning to the time he went to bed at night I was harried and overwhelmed with every step of caring
These photos are the first in a weekly photo project. You can read more here, but this is the gist: A photo of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. Join me? I included a link-up at the bottom of this post and I’ll continue doing so if there’s interest. Happy 2016 🙂
For the past few years I’ve been following along with a photo project at Practising Simplicity. She’s a mom, writer, and photographer living in Australia. She’s either a professional photographer or just a really, really good photographer, and takes an “unportrait” of her kids every week. The goal is to capture them just as they
Recently I wrote age order posts about each of my children (David, Mary Virginia, Thomas) because, when I have time to think, I think a lot about my kids — about who they are and what they need as individuals, and about how they fit into and shape our family. Our kids are pretty close in
Over the weekend Thomas got his first fever. It wasn’t a horrible. It was just a 24-hour thing, flanked on both sides by fussiness and hold-me-all-day-ness. After two doses of acetaminophen and 72 straight hours of snuggling, he was back to his normal self. People often make comments about Thomas, that because he’s my third baby he
Mary Virginia: Look Mommy! I’m twirling! I look like Cinderella! David: No, Mary. You look like Mary in a dress. Mary Virginia: Mommy, can I wear that alligator shirt? David: Uh, Mary, it’s not an alligator. It’s a dragon. Mommy: David, Mary Virginia is pretending. If she wants to pretend this is an alligator costume she can,
I was looking for Mariah Carey’s Christmas album on our AppleTV the other day, and Mary Virginia looked at the display of the album covers and asked, “Mommy, is that a picture of you?” Oh, my darling little sugar plum. Moments like this almost make up for last night when you smeared potatoes in the
I don’t know why, but I always feel cliche saying I’m thankful for family on Thanksgiving. Because that’s what everyone says. I’d like to be more original. Profound. But what else is there? I’m thankful for high-speed wi-fi? For drive-thrus? That I’m raising three children after dishwashers were invented? Ok, those are valid. But what is more profound
Me, talking to Tom: Did we decide we want to have P-I-Z-Z-A for dinner? David: Mommy, did you just say “pizza” in letters?
For some reason I’m lazy and unprepared when it comes to every aspect of my life except the holidays. We have a “Happy Halloween” banner in our dining room, pipe-cleaner spiders lurking around the house, and I ordered Mary Virginia’s dress on September 1 because I could not wait another day. Technically, I made David’s
This is Thomas’s Halloween costume. I’ve been putting it on him as Halloween approaches for two reasons: 1) Glow-in-the-dark skeleton clothes are completely seasonally appropriate, and this skeleton costume doubles as pajamas! 2) I’m worried he’ll grow out of it by October 31. After every wash I cross my fingers and hold my breath as I
A few weeks ago I saw one of my neighbors, who doesn’t have kids, walk out her door, get in her car, and drive away. I watched her, completely amazed. Even more amazing, I thought, was the possibility that the idea had struck her just moments before, “Oh, I think I’ll make a quick trip to Starbucks!”
David is going to preschool three days a week this year, and Mary Virginia is going two days. So on Monday, we spent all morning rushing around, fumbling through our new preschool routine, and also explaining to Mary Virginia over and over and over that David was going to school today, but she was going
Over Labor Day weekend we visited my parents for one more summer adventure — one more hotdog on the grill, one more bowl of ice cream on the deck, one more dip in the pool. David has been asking to go swimming and Grammy and Gramps’s pool since the moment he dried off at the end of vacation.
Today is my 33rd birthday, and I’m going to spend it doing two of my all-time favorite things: 1) Licking icing off cupcakes 2) Hanging out with my family A few weeks ago Tom and I were taking the kids to the park, and as I was walking out the door he stopped me. Tom: Why are
Baby Thomas turned 11 weeks old this week, and in the past 11 weeks I’ve often wondered when life with three kids will feel “normal.” I keep waiting to get used to this new rhythm and pace of life, but I’ll be honest: things haven’t felt normal or manageable for a while. Since Thomas was born, I constantly feel like I’m
One day Thomas is going to read this blog, and he’s going to notice that there are maybe seven times more photos of the first three months of David’s life, and at least three times more from Mary Virginia’s. And if he’s anything his father, Thomas will have all the relevant information compiled in a
Every morning David asks me what we’re going to do. Is it a school day? Or a park day? Is someone coming over? Is today a church day? Then he gets down to it. “Mommy, is today a swimming day?” No, son, it’s not. That’s my usual answer. Except when we were on vacation. On vacation every day was
We went on vacation with Tom’s family a few weeks ago and it was, um, full. Full, which is a euphemism for crazy, exhausting, hectic. Hectic. That actually nails it. Synonyms for hectic include: frantic, frenzied, feverish, manic, busy, active, fast and furious, fast-paced. But instead of hectic, I’ll get back to that euphemism. It was
David loves holding baby Thomas. He asks to hold him twice as often as Mary Virginia does, and she asks a lot. “Mommy, I wish baby Thomas could be in my belly,” David said to me the other day. He says that, but I don’t think he’s prepared for the stretch marks, heartburn, or nine months without wearing his favorite
Aside from her cameo last November, this is Mary Virginia’s first Semantics post. It surprised me because she makes us laugh all day, every day. There’s something about her tone, her enunciation, her confidence with speech — she talks like an adult but sounds like a two-year old, and it’s all hilarious. This is her first post, but
In some ways, I’m very, very bad at blogging. I really enjoy the photography and writing aspect of blogging, but there’s all this other stuff that people who are really good at blogging do –that I’m either too lazy to do or just don’t understand. Things like promoting their blog through social media, and optimizing SEO. SEO
We planted blackberries four years ago, and every year we watch the plant bloom, grow berries, and then every year birds, squirrels, chipmunks, or some other form of evil gets to them before we can. This year, just like every year before it, we watched the plant bloom, grow glossy red berries, and then, we watched in amazement as