Girlfriends!

Grace and I joined a few families last week at Kruger's Farm for their weekly concert. Once we pumped enough food (sugar) into the kids, they had a blast. (Until then, they clung to our legs and whined about everything, and nothing.) Most of this happiness occurred in the half hour before the concert ended. Thanks to Rebecca for the pictures.


Grace expounds on the economic crisis, while Ava and Annika wonder if she'll ever stop talking.


The pile up was great fun, and they took turns being on the bottom. They look like sisters, don't they?


Gigi pretending to be a sweet, innocent little angel.

Open house.

When we were trying to decide whether or not to have another child, a friend shared some advice she got when she was at the same point in her life. When asked why she wanted another baby, she admitted that she didn't want her son to be an only child. Her advisor suggested that, if that was the only reason, it wasn't a very good one. She told my friend that if she didn't want her son to feel lonely, she should open her house to other kids. Her son would have playmates, and his friends — some who may not be getting everything they need at home — could find a refuge.

I forgot about that until recently, when I realized Grace is at that age where she gets pretty bored at home. I can't play with her all the time, so why not have other kids over? My motives may not have been as altruistic and pure as my friend's were, and I'm fairly certain Grace's playmates all have perfectly happy home lives. But you know what? It's been brilliant. Whether the mom stays for a visit or leaves their child for a sleep over, Grace has fun — and I don't feel guilty for not constantly entertaining her. But most of her friends are boys, so things can get a little rowdy.


Grace and Seamus had never met, but that didn't stop him from taking his pants off. Check out the blurry monkey in the top left corner.


Jack and Grace are old friends, and he was so polite when he was here I was afraid he might be ill. Grace made up for it with some serious sass.


Julian is so chill, Grace couldn't convince him to misbehave no matter how she tried. Note Brady, just waiting for a crumb to hit the floor.

Two for the price of... two.

Grace had a date over last Friday night. I know what you're thinking — she's too young to start dating and I'm a monster for permitting this, but I figure she might as well get it out of her system now. By the time those hormones start raging, she'll be totally disillusioned by the dating scene and I won't have to worry about icky boys and their intentions. Although she may still be with Logan then; he's her longest running and most intense crush so far.


Imagine the cute kids they'd have...


They built this together, in perfect agreement of what should go where. I love how Grace is all criss-cross apple sauce, while Logan is clearly thinking, "Look what I have created!"

Two hours of barely controlled chaos. Barely.

Grace's birthday party was Saturday afternoon, and she had such a blast surrounded by all the people she loves, I think I popped out a tear or two. We "borrowed" the pirate theme from Jake's party a few weeks ago, and Grace greeted her guests in a black pirate T-shirt, a pink tutu and black crocs. (No, I didn't get a picture of that ensemble, but I'll recreate it soon.) What a fun night for our three year old baby.


Grace refused to get dressed after playing in the kiddie pool, which vexed me because her main outfit was so fabulous, I envisioned her wearing it in all the photos. Plus, I thought she'd be cold. She looks miserable, doesn't she?


We ended up with a really great mix -- kids of all ages who played together beautifully. No arguing, no awkwardness and, most important, no bleeding.


The adults were a different story, but just one was asked to leave.


How cute is Jack, opening the door for Emerson? He just wants her to get out so he can ride in the car, but still.


Picked up this baby (the pool) for ten bucks at Walgreen's. (Jack and Grace are quite the couple at school, I've been told. We approve, mostly because of that irresistible grin and his British accent.)


Got this cake for a lot more than ten bucks at a local bakery. It was delicious, and we're still working on the head.


This doll was the clear favorite of a truly impressive haul. Everyone might as well have left once Grace opened it, because all she wanted was to be alone with "New Bath Baby" for the rest of the night. She managed to tear herself away to give good-bye kisses; she's a big girl now, after all.

He didn't SAY he'll call, but I think he will.

We had some wacky wind and a small, unplanned fire, but the kids had a blast and the burgers were yummy. Not a bad date at all. (We're courting the entire Martin family to ensure a future marriage between the kids.)


My mom picked up these tent thingies at a garage sale and they have been a HUGE hit. Better even than the appliance boxes we used to play with as kids, and just as flammable. (That tunnel in the background came from IKEA, and I had an obscene amount of fun this morning tossing treats into it so Brady would run through.)


Grace is doing her signature "scorpion" move here. Good thing she weighs less than Maxwell, who is clearly planning to try it out the next time his own Daddy throws him in the air. I don't see that ending well for either of them.


"Better him than me."


Working off dinner, one beer at a time.


Maxwell put a tent cube over my head and took pictures of me. He's only five months older than Grace, and he can work a camera and eat with chopsticks, among other things. Not that child rearing is a competition or anything.


Totally suave and stylish. And tuckered out.

Water buddies

It's almost impossible for a toddler to not have fun at the park, especially when there's water involved. Maybe that's why Grace and Julian had so much fun the other day -- neither one of them could say, "That's MY water. I WAS USING THAT."


I will be so sad when she loses her little pot belly. Her pants might finally stay up, but by then she'll probably be one of those girly girls who will wear only dresses. Or, as a friend's daughter insisted, twirly dresses. (The twirl factor had to be tested in the dressing room before a purchase was made. I'm not kidding.)


They make a cute couple when they're not arguing over toys. Julian looks a little possessive, though. I hope he knows they're not exclusive. Grace has a date with Maxwell tonight -- you know, totally casual, maybe burgers in the backyard. She'll dress down so she doesn't look like she's trying too hard. I wonder what he'll wear.

(Photos courtesy of Julian's mom, Justine)

No more ginger vodka for Mommy.

Grace has a thing about blankets. She loves to cover up and feign sleep, then sit up and announce, "I'm awake!" She also puts her dolls down for naps, face down, then piles on so many blankets that I can only conclude she's trying to smother them in some passive-aggressive fashion.


She's quite convincing.


This is EXACTLY how I felt when I woke up this morning. I blame Shelley and her cool shot glasses she made of ice. Yes, I know I'm too old to be doing shots, but throwing down the ice glass after each one was so fun.


And this is how I spent the rest of my day (inside), while Grace and John went to the park and to Jake's third birthday party.

BFF?

Grace and Julian have a strange relationship. When they're together, they don't particularly appear to enjoy each other's company, but they always ask about each other, and put them in a bed together and they sleep like all is right with their worlds and they are exactly where they belong. I'm not sure if it's a brother/sister thing or a potentially scorching romance, but either way, Julian is a gentle soul and Grace could clearly benefit from his influence. And he's a gifted musician, which is totally HOT (to her, not me).


"Seriously, my hand tastes SOOOOOOOOO good!"


"Dude, your hand? Who's yummier than I am?"

Is this normal?

Friday afternoon I picked up Grace from her first day at her new preschool. For starters, it's a miracle she got in. There was an unexpected opening, and they needed girls. (They don't anticipate any more openings until Summer '09.) And the school? Kid utopia. More on that later, but let me just say that Grace petted chickens.

We drove the four minutes home through our pretty new neighborhood to find our next door neighbor sitting on a blanket on her front lawn with her almost-nine-month-old daughter. We chatted for quite a while and hit if off. Not once did she ask me if I planned to pull some weeds or cut the grass. All night I kept reminding myself, This is how normal people behave.

Last night they had us over for cocktails and a barbecue. It was a beautiful night, and Grace made herself right at home, splashing in their fountain and then running around the backyard squealing. Splash, run, squeal; splash, run, squeal, until the front of her little summer dress was soaked. (She also saw one of the dogs rolling in the grass, and incorporated that into her routine.) I fed the baby while S. and D. prepared dinner, and then we all ate and drank until the sun went down and it was too cold to stay outside. Again, it had been so long since we enjoyed something as simple as a backyard barbecue with friends that I came home and lay in bed reminding myself that we had a life like this before we moved into the NEIGHBORHOOD FROM HELL. The only difference is that Grace is now part of it, and she adds a new dimension of wonder and joy to the simple pleasure of spending time with fun people.


I've been lazy with the camera, but here's the view from my office window. I had honestly forgotten the beauty of Portland's trees. I'm having a love affair, and it's with this totally cool city and its warm (yet equally cool) inhabitants.

The Move: Days One and Two

Friday: We were lucky enough to get into our new house a day before we had to vacate the old one. I spent the ENTIRE DAY cleaning every nook and cranny (construction dust -- ick), fixing leaky plumbing (freakin' plumbers) and generally loving every minute of being alone in our brand new, empty, totally awesome soon-to-be home.

Saturday: The movers arrived right on time (it's Portland, after all) and did a fantastic job loading everything we had packed. Emphasis on everything we had packed. For some reason I will never understand, I decided to save the kitchen for last so we wouldn't have to worry about packing everything carefully enough to withstand professionals handling it. We thought it made more sense to bring dishes, glasses, pots and pans, etc. in our cars and try not to hit any bumps. It's the "etc." that did me in, though. Long story short, I had finished packing leftover odds and ends upstairs and was just about done vacuuming when our buyer's realtor showed up. I had not even started on the kitchen, so imagine my reaction when he told me the new owner would be there in five minutes and they were having a party half an hour later. He helped me move everything from the kitchen to the garage and told me it would be cool if I just worked out there. As far as I'm concerned, he earned his commission then and there. But OH. MY. GOD. We have a LOT of stuff in our kitchen, some things I couldn't even put a name to. And all I had to work with were two big plastic bins and packing paper. I looked at the mountain of crap in the garage, called John (who was supervising the unloading at the new house) and said some things I'm not proud of. He showed up as the new owner was arriving and smoothed things over with her, then we spent HOURS haphazardly packing a ridiculous assortment of kitchen gadgets that we have no business even owning.

To make matters worse, there was still food in the fridge and a load of laundry in the dryer, so I had to join the party a few times to bag the food, clean beet juice from a produce bin (which looked like blood and totally freaked out a few guests, I think), and check on my clothes. Here's the beauty part, though: everyone was so nice. One man heard me mutter something about how I could use a snort of Jameson, and the next thing I knew I had a whiskey in my hand that tasted like Jameson but is apparently made in Pendleton. When I ventured inside, the new owner and her friends chatted with me about the house and what a great job we'd done with it, among other things. And one woman alerted me that I'd missed a drawer of stuff in the bathroom -- my glasses, contacts, toothbrush and toothpaste -- stuff I'd actually miss really soon. We ended the night hugging Barbara, the new owner, and having our picture taken together.

Grace spent the day with Julian and his parents, Justine and Steve. They went to the park, napped together (Grace and Julian) and when I called Justine to let her know we were finished, Grace was sound asleep for the night. Her first sleep over -- with a boy.


How cute are they?

More waiting!

So it turns out my girlfriend Ella, here with daughter Nathalie (and preggers with Katherine, now 14 months), is moving back to Portland with her family. (I felt my excitement over this development might be best expressed through interpretive dance, which I attempted the other night in the parking lot of Meriwether's, but I don't think Ella, or hubby Nathan, were too impressed.) Anyway, of course it's MONTHS from now, which means one more thing to friggin' wait for look forward to. And then there's the question of what to do with Grace now that I have Ella back, since one has room for only so many bossy blondes in one's life. Plus, Ella knows all the rules of fashion and will shop patiently for shoes and handbags with me, whereas Grace is lacking in this department. But in all seriousness, yippee!

Over the moon

I don't know that the lunar eclipse (below) had anything to do with it, but Grace and Julian finally succumbed to the chemistry that has been building for years. Notice how his hands gently cradle her head. Really, it was too romantic.


(Photos courtesy of Julian's mom, Justine)

Be mine.

Grace got her first Valentine at school Thursday. It was from Nate, a boy she adores. At first I thought he'd singled her out, and I was impressed by his excellent taste, then I realized that EVERYONE got one. Grace didn't seem to mind, but I was annoyed that Nate's mom is so together that she thought to do something so sweet for the kids.

The next day we had a play date with Maxwell and his mom, Deborah. He gave Grace a HAND MADE Valentine, but I have no picture because Grace carelessly left it at their house. It was lovely, and I suspect a bit of Deborah's impeccable taste crept into its design. John and I are ready to seal the deal on Maxwell's and Grace's future marriage, and we're building her dowry. I'm not sure Deborah and Matt are on board yet. Maxwell is quite a catch and probably wants to keep his options open.

This will teach her.

I wasn't going to share this picture, but as punishment for today's toddler atrocities, here it is. During our play date with Jake last weekend, note how Grace tries to EAT the wooden food while Jake cleverly uses the knife to cut things. Guess who's the genius in this pair?

Two, and already boy crazy. Oy.

Grace has been taking an unusual interest in boys lately. She can name all the kids in her class, but she generally focuses on the boys and this week said to me, out of the blue, "I think Zander is cute." In her defense, he is a looker, but how do I explain to a two year old that looks aren't everything? We also went to her first tumbling class yesterday (which was hilarious), and she quickly zeroed in on the most adorable boy and stood staring at him the way I look at Clive Owen or Viggo Mortensen. Or Jude Law before he shagged his nanny. My point is, isn't this premature?


Today she had a play date with Jake, who has it all. He's cute, sweet and a little genius. He was her first kiss over a year ago (it was all a blur, below). Moms do this thing where they get their opposite sex kids together and try to get a picture of them kissing. I don't think it's just me and my mom friends. Right? So today we couldn't resist trying to recapture the magic. Honestly, I don't think his heart was in it, probably because she didn't want to share her two favorite toys (her shopping cart and Elmo). Or maybe he's just not that into her.

No picture. Almost no words.

I hope I can do this story justice, because it far and away tops the recent Target incident with Grace. One of my friends (let's call her Ms. X for the sake of anonymity) left her 3 year old son at the Playland while grocery shopping. The little boy ("J.") is in the process of potty training, and store policy is that the child must be able to communicate any bathroom needs so the mom can be called to tend to the situation. On this day, Ms. X received no call. When she went to fetch J., however, the Playland attendant informed her that J. had pooped his pants, but the TURD ROLLED OUT OF HIS PANT LEG ONTO THE FLOOR, where she was able to pick it up and dispose of it. Hence, no call. Just a lot of judgement, and, of course, embarrassment and guilt for poor Ms. X.

I will say this: I peed a little when she told me this story, and I have been potty trained for 37 years.