Thursday, September 30, 2010

Haiku #82


Haiku #82

Is your lack of sleep
the result of poor diet,
Baby Cannibal?

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Haiku #81


#81

He's no Fred Astair-
Astair would use less elbow-
but he has passion!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Haiku #80


#80

While the big boy sleeps
the little boy can explore
the world of robots

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Haiku #79


#79

With robot in hand
through cotton fields and kudzu
we're home safe and sound

Friday, September 24, 2010

Haiku #77 & #78



#78

Lucas discovered
the closest thing to the womb:
the hot, windy beach!













#77

In his private boat
he sailed in and out of weeks--
while stuck in the sand

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Haiku #75 & #76



#76

He hovers above
his own tidal pool playground
for a split second














# 75

To tell you the truth
the life of a two year old
is complicated



















Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Haiku #74


#74

Today's lesson is:
When he starts running away
don't chase him--follow








Eli was determined today to wander away from our beach spot. Walking or running, he was determined to get away. Eventually I just followed him to an abandoned sand castle as far from the water as he could manage. He sat down and pointed to a spot next to him for me to sit. There we sat. No talking, just digging our hands and feet in the sand together. After a few minutes of beachy white noise he was content going back. Lesson learned. Thanks, Love.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Haiku #71-#73



#73

There is no wolf suit--
and no, his name isn't Max
but it's close enough









#72

As the sun sinks down
he watches the kite runner
dancing in the sand









#71

The Nature Center
had just one good quality:
the parking lot rocks!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Haikus #69-#70


#70

"Mama, hawk? Eagle?
Hooo? Two hooo? Sheep? Goats? Black Bears?
Rabbits? Big, tall trees?"


...And on and on...We go through this list of things we see at Maymont every single night and often several times during the day...without fail...






#69

The blurry beach moon
hovering above his head
like a sky halo


Saturday, September 18, 2010

Haikus #65-#68



#68

Laying in the surf
he laughs as the waves roll in
and tastes their bubbles
















#67

Over and over
he buries his feet with sand--
It never gets old












#66

"Mama, where'd they go?
Oh no, Mama! Mama, help!
Woo hoo, Mama! Yay!"















#65

Baby belly rolls
relaxing in Mama's lap--
Happy as a clam

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Haikus #64


#64

The cries are now coos--
up & down, in & out sounds
like a mourning dove

Monday, September 13, 2010

Haikus #63


#63

The ceaseless crying
is only interrupted
by his big brother

As I tried to make dinner Lucas, teething and miserable, cried and cried and cried. Eli, inspired by the Jerry Lewis marathon Dad was watching ("The Disorderly Orderly" at the time), decided to cheer Lucas up by acting like a buffoon. Hilarity ensues!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Haikus #60, #61 & #62

Haikus #60, #61 & #62

"Wait mama, a rock!"
He says this every 3 steps--
I don't mind waiting

In a sea of rocks
he's able to find the one
that makes him happy

Our home's becoming
a meditation garden
one stone at a time

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Souped Up Train Table

A month before Eli's second birthday I stumbled across a neighbor's yardsale. There was a sturdy, well-loved train table for $10...needless to say I had to have it and our neighbors even offered to deliver it to our living room! It needed a makeover so with some paint, paper and elbow grease I made a new train & art station for Eli. He adores it!


Train Table (before)

The two green panels come out and can flip sides. I'm not sure why they do that... it's ugly green on both sides. What's the point? It's scratched up and has been used in a family with four boys but it has good bones! And was TEN dollars!








Train Table (after)

I painted one side of the table with black chalkboard paint. So far it has been pretty durable and washes cleanly away with no problems. We're using sidewalk chalk as that seems the most colorful, vibrant and comes in nice big chunks that are easily handled by a toddler.





Lucas watches Eli play with the trains!

The chalkboard paint has so far held up to having trains, dinosaurs and robots crashing into its surface. Totally necessary in a house with a two year old.









Train Table (side 2)

When the chalkboard panels are flipped I've decoupaged an alphabet robot city. Eli loves identifying the letters & numbers although he does not run his trains or cars along the "roads" I made with paper. The tracks satisfy that need. I used scrapbooking paper from Michael's and lots of Mod Podge for a smooth, durable finish.






Dinosaur Train!

Close -up of the decoupage robot town.












Robot Town (aerial view)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Haiku #58


#58

Embarrassed, yet proud--
At 2 he's reading letters
of the Lager Bot

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Haiku #57


#57

Instead of students
at 8:15 this morning
I saw this smile








Note: Today was the first day of school and I have to admit it was a little bittersweet. Maybe bittersweet is not the right word but it was certainly a little strange. I kept glancing at the clock and making mental notes:

7:20: Arrive at school; 8:15: First class begins; 1:30: End of last class; 3:00: Head home.

Instead of my school routine I did baby/toddler stuff all day.

7:20: Make coffee & change diapers; 8:15: Make breakfast & change diapers; 1:30: Yo Gabba Gabba rest time & change diapers; 3:00: Rescue baby squirrel & change diapers.

Different, but wonderful.

Strange, but grateful.

So it has officially begun... my year at home with the boys.

Let the games begin!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Haiku #56


#56

Step one: open mouth
Step two: insert stinky foot
Step three: take photo

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Haiku #55


#55

He sat in the stroller
like a sack of potatoes
but enjoyed the ride

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Haiku #54


Haiku #54

He doesn't realize
that at 94 degrees
there's no chance of snow

Haiku #53


#53

Mama? Mama? Up?
Yes, please! Mama! Up? Yes, Please!
Mama! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, Mama!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Haiku #52


#52

"Look mama, two g's!"
Sure enough, two swirly g's
waiting at the door