Often when I’m getting ready, Mary will wander into the bathroom to be with me. She asks if she can be fancy, too, so I lift her onto the vanity and hand her a makeup brush or lip gloss wand. She gazes into the mirror quietly, studying her reflection. The corners of her mouth lift
The 52 Project — A photo of my children once a week, every week, in 2019. David / He built this inconspicuous tower in the middle of our living room and doesn’t understand why no one will leave him alone. The sign says, “Do not talk to David while he’s reading.” Mary / One morning just before
This afternoon the kids jumped in the pool as soon as they got home from school, and I made frozen pizza and served it on a giant tray instead of taking the time to put it on individual plates. They ate, then jumped back into the water. Summer. They were playing so well together that
I feel like I’m in a weird in-between stage of parenting. I’ve got two big kids who are in full-day elementary school, and I’ve got two little ones at home with me. This one-foot-in-each-world is not unique to me, I know. But it’s tough on the sentimental side of me that wants to mark
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2019. David / Back in his natural habitat, swimming and splashing. I love this picture because he’s playing with a toy boat, just like he did the first summer we moved here and he was still four. Mary / Everyone who knows Mary is amazed
Suburban gardening is almost exactly like urban gardening. The only differences are that we don’t keep up with new music and we pay lower taxes. After nearly two years of barely doing anything to take care of our yard, Tom and I devoted several weekends to mulching, weeding, and getting our garden started. We removed
This is Thomas’s birthday week. He turns four on Sunday, and we’ve been building up to his birthday in small, special ways — a happy birthday banner on the mantel, a special “T” balloon on his chair. Almost every day we gently explain to Thomas’s siblings that the reason we have different expectations for him
Anytime an entire week goes by without a new blog post you can assume one of two things: One or all of our kids has a fever, ear infection, an orthopedic injury, is throwing up, or all of the above. I’m fumbling through some sort of craft that requires skills that I’m teaching myself with
One day after I put Anna down for her nap, she did that absolutely unacceptable thing that babies do sometimes — instead of laying her head down and taking a nap, she started fussing. I, rhetorically, wondered what was happening, “UGH. WHY is Anna fussing?” Thomas answered, “Well, Mommy, you did put her in hot
A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2019. David and Mary / This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. I sent these two off to school with irises, roses and one peony each, paltry gestures of my overwhelming gratitude for the teachers that care for my kids every day. I read once that