tiene la luz

happy new year

2012-01-14T07:33:00.001-05:00

2011-12-14T18:41:00.001-05:00

fields of gold

2011-11-22T09:20:00.000-05:00

2011-11-20T11:11:00.001-05:00

hugs

2011-11-16T07:25:00.003-05:00

compliments

2011-11-16T06:20:00.002-05:00

adda's big thing when she was 2 was to randomly call across the room "mama, i love you all day"! it was so sweet but she doesn't do it anymore. now she's moved on to 3 yr old compliments - yesterday's was: "mama i like smellin you. i love you tall as a giraffes head. your kisses taste like icing".

jump-o-lene

2011-11-15T16:29:00.003-05:00

the jump-o-lene was hudsons birthday present. a pretty cool toy really, especially if your bedroom used to be a 3 car garage. not cool as in wooden educational cool, but cool in it's own cheap, plastic, made-in-china kind of way. deflate the outer ring and you have a kiddie trampoline. flip it upside down and you have a fort with a trampoline roof. turn it on it's side and it's the ultimate hamster wheel. they had a ton of borderline dangerous fun with it until it popped and they cried and cried. every mom i know said they could not believe i bought "that thing". but you're only 2 and 3 once - no bones were broken.

dress up

2011-11-15T15:26:00.002-05:00

it's the first time they've done the dress up and go get candy thing for halloween - they were very in to it. hudson roared at everyone he saw and thanked me for his cheezy pipe cleaner mane over and over - look how happy he is with himself!

my little flower picker

2011-11-06T21:14:00.002-05:00

hudson

2011-10-30T16:17:00.004-04:00

i had to take those first 2 just because i don't think we have a single picture of hudson crying and there were so many of adda ;). he was sad because he couldn't have his special treat till after he finished his supper - it lasted about 3 seconds.

virginia's explore park

2011-10-30T15:35:00.001-04:00

2011-10-23T18:26:00.001-04:00

puddles

2011-09-01T12:05:00.002-04:00

a midnight thunderstorm put down so much rain that our creek turned into a river and our yard flooded. they played in puddles for 3 hours straight.

fast

2011-08-31T08:29:00.003-04:00

she's doing great on her bike and has graduated from the driveway to the greenway.

parade of hills

2011-08-25T14:12:00.006-04:00

we didn't really know what the "parade of hills" was. it was supposed to host the ohio state fiddle festival, a raptor exibit and good acoustic music. we didn't find any of that. what we did find, was this garish wonderland. blew a quick $25 bucks on plastic toys, loud rides and food choices my mother would not be proud of. and then we all felt an intense need to come back to our cozy, middle-of-nowhere, home.

superiority

2011-08-24T08:45:00.004-04:00

adda deeply aggravated at hudson for splashing her in the bathtub "i'm mommy's best girl, i'm the daughter. you're just the little brother". hearing nothing insulting, he exclaimed "yeah, me brother" and splashed her some more.

fire

2011-08-24T08:11:00.003-04:00

a beautiful old maple is dying in our front yard. once majestic, now diseased and dropping limbs. it provided us this happiness, our first bonfire of the year.

pickles for breakfast

2011-08-20T10:53:00.007-04:00

they wanted pickles for breakfast. there wasn't really a good reason to say no...

the beginning of a classic tussle over possession...

hudson has been winning most of the scraps lately - the boy will not unhand anything. look at that face!

she reloaded while he was making his get away and then as soon as he went through the door, she shut it and locked him inside.

he didn't get mad, just stood there making funny faces at her through the screen. she started laughing, called him a "silly pickle eating little biscuit" and let him back outside. they finished their pickles happily and begged for more. the end.

choo-choo

2011-08-19T07:55:00.003-04:00

went to the wine on the rails fundraiser for hocking valley scenic railway last weekend. it was a 2 hr sunset/full moon ride with hors d'oeuvres and live music. the band played twinkle twinkle little star for adda & hudson and everyone made a big fuss over them as they were the only kids on board. they were so excited to ride a real train. it was a sweet family night out.

mommy make my picture

2011-08-12T08:00:00.006-04:00

so adda asked me to take her picture one day. sure, i take her picture frequently. she neither likes or dislikes it, often she's unaware. never before has she requested it. she put a hat on, climed up on top of jonathans dresser and proceeded to work the camera for several minutes straight, completely undirected. she was posing and posing and laughing. i have no idea where she learned this, i haven't taken her on a shoot with me since she could walk. i guess it's just inside her and it was really beautiful to watch her confidently open herself up in this way. i fired off 50 frames in a couple of minutes, 40 of which were good. i hesitated to post these knowing someone will say "oh how sad, the daughter of a photographer being exploited like that, taught to pose and be so self aware at 3 years old". but i want this blog to be a faithful rendition of our lives and this is the way it happened. i rarely edit any of their photos. i try to just be a mom with a camera here, posting the wild hair and crusty noses, the blown out, and the blurry. but i loved a few of these and took them in to photoshop/lightroom and played with them, i think the last one is my favorite.

2011-08-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

her very own first necklace - she's in love with it.

nectarines at the farmers market

manners

2011-08-06T16:26:00.001-04:00

hudson while spinning in circles trying to keep the neighbors dog from licking his face "no thank you, no thank you, no thank you".

saturday

2011-07-31T15:59:00.003-04:00

always happy
adda is really into accessorizing lately. some of her chosen looks have been a little over the top and i joke that she should be tracys child. last week she wore a dress to church with pants, rubber boots, a cloche hat and white sunglasses (which she kept on through the whole service) - it was total rock star meets bag lady. today it's a rubber, smokey the bear bracelet, a winter scarf and the necklace she made from a shoe string and cheerios.

honest talk

2011-07-27T17:08:00.002-04:00

hudson is starting to make little sentences. this morning he was crying on the couch after being removed from the breakfast table and scolded for dumping his food and throwing his spoon. adda came from another room when she heard him and said "it's ok. don't you cry little buddy. what's a matter with hudsy"? in a big sob he said "mummy not nice". satisfied with his answer, she disappeared, returning moments later to offer him his blanket. "it's ok, mommy not mad at you little buddy. you need stop bein messy lil boy and mommy'll love you again, pick you up and sing you song".

domestic

2011-07-26T11:14:00.001-04:00

my little cookers & cleaners

shiner

2011-07-22T16:49:00.003-04:00

she's all healed up now but you can tell she was kind of proud of the bruise she got from pulling a tv over on her head!

covered in aunts

2011-07-22T16:37:00.002-04:00

out & about

2011-07-19T08:25:00.004-04:00

sunday

2011-07-18T08:50:00.001-04:00

splash valley with cousins

2011-07-16T20:50:00.002-04:00

not for sale

2011-07-06T11:46:00.009-04:00

adda & hudson are participating in a toddler art show at casa nueva this month. 3 pieces of their art were included and are on display through july. adda is beyond excited but has expressed concern about someone buying her work (as in "don't want some mans with money in bag come takes my picture home him"). couldn't tell her that her worry was probably pretty unfounded so i just promised her they would be listed "not for sale".

azure verde

original unsigned work - artist collaboration - hudson & adda young

watercolor on fiber

cakey tree

original unsigned work - adda young

mixed media collage (dinner napkin, barberry bush, rice cake) on parchment

fwimming fishy

original unsigned work - adda young

mixed media (watercolor, sidewalk chalk, nail polish, googly eye) on fiber

2011-07-03T17:56:00.002-04:00

chase

2011-07-03T17:12:00.003-04:00

more fun on grammys farm

2011-06-19T17:53:00.002-04:00

we luv grammys farm

2011-06-15T21:11:00.019-04:00

i tried all sorts of rotating and re-saving to get this to post right...and now i've decided that i give up. there's a limited amount of time i can devote to this sort of thing without getting really frustrated. and whats going on with the spacing on blogger lately? tried to fix that too. help anyone?

2011-06-02T21:37:00.002-04:00

braved nelsonville music festival with the kids while j was out of town. had so much fun - they danced their way through crowds and thunderstorms and were so well behaved. a bag of pistachios and some balloon hats kept them happy all the way through yo la tengo.

adda practicing her plank pose in the parking lot...

marilyn monroe style over grammy and pa's hvac unit

best friends

happy birthday bumble bee!

2011-05-22T15:22:00.004-04:00

adda turned 3 on mothers day

co-conspirators

2011-05-03T15:12:00.001-04:00

i guess we have a kitty

2011-04-27T12:28:00.005-04:00

this little kitty showed up on our doorstep about a month ago. he was sporting a flee collar and completely starving, hard to tell if he was lost or abandoned. "no cats allowed" is rather clear on our lease but compassion said we should go on and feed him. adda started calling him my kitty right away and of course he never left after that first bowl of milk. we haven't found a home for him and he seems quite happy with his box in the garage. hudson likes to lie down on the porch beside him and meow right into his face - kitty graciously meows back. adda keeps picking him up and putting him in her wagon, hoping he'll stay for a ride. i guess if he's willing to put up with all of that and happily -he's earned his right to stay.

dandy lion soup

2011-04-22T16:55:00.005-04:00

adda & hudson were busy making dandelion soup all morning. when i agreed to try some they said i had to buy it. i guess you should taste it first if you're selling it for $30!

a friend who was over asked if we made dandelion wine. sounds not very appealing but this is our yard, so i think we'll try a batch and then we'll know for sure.

when we were inside later making lunch, adda started crying at the window and yelling "those mans is erasing my lions". the landscaping crew was here mowing the lawn - so no more lions till next week - i guess we missed our first harvest.

naptime

2011-04-21T16:09:00.002-04:00

bored toes

2011-04-17T21:48:00.011-04:00

adda & hudson are sick. fevers and coughs out of nowhere have stolen nights of sleep and have made for not-so-fun days. hudson is pitiful - bleary eyed and wearing a blister on his thumb from so much sucking. adda, always dramatic, escalates to a level of neediness when sick that could wear out a full time staff. she spent her waking hour requesting ice packs for her knee (that she scraped 7 days ago) and claiming that her granola was burning her eyes. SIGH. gave them a long bubble bath and foot massages with essential oils. sometime while dual pedicures were drying, the mood started to lift. as we were blowing on 20 little toenails - hudson: "thank koo. toes pretty" adda: "mama i can't sit still anymore, my pink toes bored."

art

2011-04-16T00:38:00.009-04:00

- elly mackay

- emily martin

adda is really starting to take joy in art, frequently requesting to "make somepin" or look at pictures. j is working in ny so we've been having special "dates" every night - tonight was a gallery opening. she was so excited (particularly because she was wearing tights) and was having a fine time people watching, art watching and hitting up the cheese tray. hudsons enthusiasm was obliterated by the onset of a cold. we could tell he was wishing for his bed, so we split early and came home to "put hudsy away". i made her a slide show of work i found online that i thought she'd like. we watched it by candle light, curled up in bed with npr, red tea and ginger snaps. these were her stand out favorites. last words of the night: "thank you my art date mama, i like it dis much."

spring evening bouquet

2011-04-14T23:36:00.003-04:00

bubbles

2011-04-14T00:35:00.003-04:00

today

2011-04-02T20:56:00.008-04:00

golf lessons in the back yard

and grammy bought some new baby chicks

button pusher

2011-03-29T16:57:00.002-04:00

the result of adda changing all the custom settings on my camera. me: "adda have you been touching mommys camera"? adda: "YES! i touch alotta, lotta buttons, i take pictures of carpet too mama"!

an afternoon at malta

2011-03-22T17:20:00.003-04:00

lunch at work with daddy

and fun in the parking lot afterwards

2011-03-04T23:32:00.000-05:00

february

2011-03-03T15:27:00.005-05:00

on our first sunny, 60 degree day since october - adda said "see that sunshine up there? i see it too. it's shinin my eyes. feels warm. sunshinin makes me feel happy mama!"

i was born in pittsburgh and jonathan lived in green bay for awhile when he was little. so tho we're not big football people and we don't even have a tv - the superbowl instigated some serious household rivalry. i pulled the kids to my side because they happened to have some hand-me-down steelers gear. i painted their faces and gave them terrible towels to wave around and then the 3 of us suffered serious defeat.

hopped out of the shower one morning to discover adda was awake and had helped herself to a big block of colby cheese. when she saw me she said, "you don't need to make me beckfast mama, i got it meself".

our yard was flooded when adda forded across this enormous puddle that filled her boots and soaked her thighs. it was snowing and so cold and she just picked her way across with a stick, all by herself. a couple of months ago, she'd have never gone through it without holding my hand - she's becoming a brave girl.

they had so much fun making each other valentines. but after exchanging, hudson promptly tore his up and ate it and adda cried till she couldn't breathe.

portrait of a proud breakfast moment. we made kale & banana smoothies. they ate them and asked for more.

helping with laundry

2011-02-28T17:07:00.001-05:00

2011-02-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

o christmas tree o christmas tree

2011-02-06T15:27:00.003-05:00

adda got rather attached to the christmas tree and cried last month when i went to take it out of the house. so for a few days, i left it on the porch outside their bedroom where they could still see it and then i started "hiding" it all over our property. when we go for walks, they both call "o christmas tree, where are you"? adda was thrilled to find it covered in snow the other day with a bird perched on top. i'm still watering it but its starting to wither and so i'm questioning the best method for a happy disposal. keep it for a family bonfire and send sparks up to the stars or find a local farm that will let us feed it to their goats?

dress up

2011-01-29T16:53:00.002-05:00

more snow

2011-01-29T16:45:00.001-05:00

2011-01-22T19:53:00.000-05:00

pumped

2011-01-20T21:51:00.003-05:00

so we're at the park swinging in the snow. i'm talking to adda about momentum and trying to teach her how to "pump" her legs in the swing to propel herself forward. later we grab some groceries and as i'm buckling hudson in his car seat, i hear the fateful "dunk". i look over my shoulder to confirm that adda has indeed propelled herself forward while in the shopping cart - right into the side of the highlander. unbelievable that a toddler and some bananas can travel maybe 2 feet on a non-existent grade and make a dent like that. she looks at me all proud and sparkly eyed and before i can even say anything, she squeals "mama, i pumped"!

2011-01-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

a monday in roanoke

2011-01-03T18:05:00.003-05:00

2010-12-27T02:04:00.003-05:00

2010-12-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

details - because u asked

2010-12-08T07:59:00.007-05:00

we live here ,in athens county,ohio - it's 4 hrs, 15 minutes from roanoke. we're renting a ranch on 7 acres. our landlords own another 300 surrounding that they received a grant to plant trees on. architecturally inspiring it is not but there's lots of space that we fit nicely inside - we're thankful to have it. there's an old barn for exploring and a creek for splashing. we cannot see another house, it's very peaceful .

jonathan is the vp of sales & marketing for malta window and door . it's in malta ohio, about 40 minutes north of us. he's enjoying his new position very much.

thanksgiving

2010-12-01T09:31:00.008-05:00

cuddling with papa

adda has only had fast food maybe 3 times, but apparently enough to associate passing money out a window with getting something to eat. we travelled to roanoke for the holiday on the wva turnpike. everytime we went through a toll booth and paid our $2, she spent the next 10 miles saying "MAMA, I HUNGY, I WANT MY SAMICH, i hold it self, i big girl".

we finished putting the last leaves on our "tree of thanks" - a thanksgiving advent of sorts where we added a new leaf for each day and talked about something we're grateful for. adda really got it, which made me so happy. she thanked god for our new house, the pretty night sky and our friend themba. hudson just wanted to tear the leaves off and eat them, so we moved our little tree to higher ground. we read The Turkey Shot Out Of The Oven about 26 times, gave dad lots of hugs and kisses, and ate thanksgiving dinner atleast 6 times - it was good!

flashback

2010-11-22T15:08:00.007-05:00

these are all from sept/oct when we were too busy to post them.

mad because after 2 and a half hours, they still didn't want to get out of the tub.

the day cousin paiton introduced adda to princess dresses - instant personality transformation - she put it on and took over the dance floor - actually a little bit scary and very, very funny.

hudson was learning to walk and adda was learning to ride her bike. we sent them to school all busted up and bruised that week, half expecting social services to drop by.

snugglin with daddy

her first go at fixing her own hair - she was very pleased w/ the results. looked like she was heading out to a grateful dead show - future dread headed hippie?

petting the animals at homestead creamery's farm day

2010-11-16T15:57:00.005-05:00

2010-11-11T10:03:00.003-05:00

i didn't think switching zip codes meant having to totally reprogram your kids. they have seemingly forgotten all i've taught them and this week has been full of reminding that the rules in this house are exactly the same as the rules in the last house. how very not fun.

the doors open much easier here - all of them - especially the refrigerator, which adda has been taking full advantage of. friday, while i put hudson down for a nap, she made a feast for herself of dark chocolate and capers. this morning while i was changing his diaper, she added feta cheese and toothpaste to her french toast. i snapped these with my cell phone while she was glorying in her concoction and unaware. after breakfast, we went for a potty break where i found my jump drive in the toilet - sigh.

leaves

2010-11-09T16:29:00.004-05:00

october

2010-10-25T22:26:00.006-04:00

we've moved! spent the month cleaning, packing, unpacking and we're nearly all settled in to our new place. if you're looking for us - we can be found in millfield ohio. j starts his job on the first. 7 acres, a big creek and wall to wall carpet have won the kids over - they really like it.

thursday

2010-09-30T15:32:00.008-04:00

2010-08-18T22:32:00.001-04:00

downward dog

2010-08-18T21:37:00.002-04:00

2010-08-10T21:57:00.008-04:00

adda doesn't like her hair messed with. she'd prefer i didn't wash it, brush it or touch it. so i was kind of suprised when she let me make two little pony tails with out much fuss. i told her they were so cute and that we should go look in the mirror. mistake! she was not happy when she saw them.

she went buzzing around the house making a big show of displeasure, then stopped when she saw my cell phone and asked to call her daddy. i dialed his number thinking it would be a good distraction and was so suprised when in her jumbled little sentences, she began detailing my crimes against her "daddy, ouch, mommy, hair, no-no, don't want it". the tattling must have been pretty theraputic though because afterwards she was over it and wore them happily the rest of the day.

2010-07-25T09:02:00.002-04:00

2010-07-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

2010-07-07T17:03:00.001-04:00

callin meme

2010-06-09T22:59:00.002-04:00

we luv ice

2010-06-09T22:04:00.004-04:00

so i ate a ton of ice when i was pregs with adda. never really stopped - just kept goin right thru my pregnancy with hudson. then i realized that i couldn't stop or at least that i really, really didn't want to. after some exposure, adda naturally picked up on the glories of the ice cube herself and went from curious, to full on junkie after her first couple of pieces . so then i decided i had to quit because she was starting to bang on our freezer door and beg for it. so i did and she did - well mostly.

last date night we took the cousins to the ball field and they're all running the bases and playing in the dirt and i'm thinking "hey, where's adda"? i look over to see her beaming over a pile that must of been freshly dumped from some little leaguers cooler. she's double fisted, hustling ice cubes as fast as her baby teeth can crunch em with this look on her face like she cannot believe her good fortune. my god, i've ruined her! clearly i'm still in the recovering stage as it was so easy or me to understand how she just couldn't hold herself back. and taking this picture was the only way i fought the urge to join her.

thursday

2010-06-02T22:38:00.001-04:00

hudsons first swim

2010-06-01T18:13:00.003-04:00

thank you pa

2010-05-26T16:37:00.001-04:00

adda got a baby for her birthday with hair almost as crazy as hers. she's in love with it.

2010-05-23T00:04:00.001-04:00

2010-05-21T12:37:00.000-04:00

date night

2010-05-03T09:11:00.008-04:00

date night happens once a week. rebecca, jennifer and & i rotate, one couple taking all the kiddos, and the other 2 going out - it's a pretty good gig for everyone. having all of them is honestly about as much fun as having the night off. dinner with 6 kids under age 4 is a wild and messy good time. they love all piling on top of each other in the jogging stroller so jonathan can pop wheelies with them. they love pararading around the house in my high heels and inventing all sorts of injuries so they can wear matching bandaids. they're busy, hilarious and very very fun.

2010-04-29T12:35:00.005-04:00

i remember when we gave adda her first taste of food. we had the video camera out and ready and were so excited to see what she'd do. would she make faces, spit it out, make a big mess or what? we got nothing. she just leaned forward, took a bite and swallowed like she'd been doing it all along. i think i felt the tiniest bit proud but mostly just disappointed. not so with hudson. he's been making up for it big time and at 10 mths, still puts on a pretty good show.

kite festival

2010-04-23T16:13:00.002-04:00

2010-04-22T16:25:00.000-04:00

2010-04-09T15:18:00.000-04:00

"udsey ungry, mama"

2010-04-09T14:29:00.006-04:00

adda was helping me put away groceries and hudson was playing on our bedroom floor. after a few minutes she wandered his direction and i heard her out-of-control giggles getting louder. went to peek in on them, and saw this. she'd dumped out an entire bag of peas and corn chips and was cracking herself up saying "udsey ungry, mama". man - she's getting fast.

duck duck goose

2010-03-31T22:08:00.012-04:00

took adda to feed the ducks but she had no interest in sharing her crackers.

i tossed a handful in the h20 and got this reaction

but then she saw them gobbling em up and changed her mind. she took off chasing them, bag in hand, "duck, duck, share, snack, eat."

she pointed,

pleaded,

demanded,

and stalked.

but they kept their wary distance.

she sassed some geese as big as her,

they sassed back and made her cry.

hudson didn't pay attention to any of it - never took his eye off the crackers.

just when we were about to leave, one very brave or very dumb duck swam over and ate from her hand

she closed her eyes and squealed

and she was oh so happy.

the end.

more happy hudson

2010-03-26T12:15:00.005-04:00

happy hudson

2010-03-23T22:55:00.007-04:00

hudson: rocking with his signature crooked grin. he has the sweetest disposition - so content and joyful. loves everything & everyone and rarely cries. he smiles at strangers, smiles at the dog, smiles when the h20 cooler lets out a bubble. he's very snugly - loves to pet your face and giggle and kiss and slobber your cheeks. loves shower time, balloons, bananas, being tickled and attention from adda of any sort. his first tooth is coming through and he just had his first successful crawl - backwards!

2010-03-13T13:10:00.036-05:00

we're fresh off a lovely vacation. kicked off in asheville nc where we enjoyed ourselves immensely with good food and friends. saw the brandi carslile band which was outstanding! she opened up with an a capella version of "oh dear", showcasing her unique sound & amazing range in a way that left us all open mouthed and hushed in awe. if i could sing like that, i'd never shut up.

then we headed to montego bay jamaica to catch up with the pella people and do the all-inclusive thing for a few days. the carribbean sun punished us on day one for slathering in, aparently expired, spf 30. jonathan snagged salesman of the year again. we lounged and read and not much else. the weather was perfect. and the world economic crisis blessed us with alot of quiet - as the island was rather empty despite being peak season.

then we headed to negril, the west end of the island with the real island feel. sun, rum, reggae, jerk chicken, rocky cliffs, white sand, swimming at sunset, and our own tiny little cottage on the beach where we could here the surf pound while we slept. it was everything we wanted and we felt so grateful to be there.

we hurried home, sorely missing our babies - and feeling rested, plunged back to the grind. we bought another rental and are currently midway through an ambitious 90 day renovation. very soon, we should be turning out 3 very cool spaces to live in - apartment anyone?

conversations

2010-03-01T15:17:00.000-05:00

2010-02-23T11:43:00.004-05:00

hudson & grammy jo

2010-02-19T22:07:00.001-05:00

flashlight tag

2010-01-30T10:25:00.003-05:00

they're starting to really love playing together and its so fun to watch. i wish i hadn't stopped recording so soon. right at the end, adda smacked herself in the head with the flashlight and burst into tears. so hudson starting crying because she was and then they both burst out laughing again - it was awesome.

2010-01-23T22:43:00.003-05:00

2010-01-23T22:35:00.001-05:00

adda & patch

2010-01-19T12:32:00.006-05:00

"patch" was jonathans teddy bear when he was a baby.

hitting the bunny slopes

2010-01-13T15:19:00.003-05:00