Homecoming

TDY Day 57: The toddler brain

Conversation with Amalia yesterday on the way home from daycare, out of the blue:

Amalia: Daddy. Home. Later.

Me: Yes, he'll be home soon. Do you miss Daddy?

Amalia: Bodia. (presumably, short for Cambodia)

TDY Day 57: Penultimateness

The girls felt like singing today. Perhaps they're excited about Andy's imminent return. I know I am.


Amalia singing ABCs (or something resembling it)


Lily singing Twinkle, Twinkle


A duet

TDY Day 55: Hoppin' into the home stretch

The Easter Bunny visited the house a bit early this year -- courtesy of a flat rate priority box from Grandma Carol and Grandpa Dave.

Mary Kay girl

See how my parenting standards have gone down the drain? Unkempt hair, food-stained shirt, giant bunny cookie. Andy better get back here before Child Protective Services shows up.

Lily gushing over a pair of gold sandals--who knew the Easter Bunny was into foot fashion?

Andy comes home on Sunday. Three. More. Days.

TDY Day 48: Camera bug

More photos from Lily. We're coming out of hibernation!

TDY Day 48: It happened at McDonald's

• The woman next to me in line asked for her 33 cents back because the extra tomato she ordered "wasn't ripe."
  

• My 19-month-old told me her ketchup was "spicy."

• My 4 1/2-year-old said, "Do you want to go to school, my cute little meatball?" (asking the Happy Meal "Magic Meatball" toy -- think Magic Eight Ball, but pink and lumpy)

TDY Day 45: Lily Leibovitz

Well, it's back to a threesome, so to speak, with the girls and me on our own. Andy's parents (below) left yesterday after two much-appreciated weeks of support. This evening during dinner Lily said, "We're having a silent dinner. Grandma and Grandpa aren't here anymore."


Yesterday, after we got back from the airport, Lily turned photographer and took the following "portraits."

Self-portrait.

Still life. Bed.

White #2. (Study of a ceiling fan.)

TDY Day 41: Communication breakdowns

It can't be a good sign for a mom to not know her daughter is taking karate until she comes home from school with her newly earned orange belt. That happened to me yesterday.

I am proud to say, however, that I was quite aware that Lily is taking soccer class after school.

The intimidating goalie...

...in action. I guess no one bothered to tell Lily about keeping her eye on the ball.

And the last in our communication breakdown examples from this evening -- we were playing a puzzle where you match a word with the picture of that food. In my attempt to try to get her to sound out the word on my "pineapple" card, I thought it might be easier to have Lily start with the "apple" part, which might be familiar to her. Here's what happened next:

• Lily: Apple.
• Me: OK, so look back at the beginning of the word. What does it start with?
• Lily: P.
• Me: OK, so sound it out.
  
• Lily: Papple. What's a papple?!?

TDY Day 39: Goofy girls

The following order of events preceded these pictures:

• Lily asking what "available" means.
• Lily asking how to spell "It's my chair and it's not available." ("One letter at a time.")
  
• Lily making numerous trips between the tape dispenser on the desk downstairs and her bedroom upstairs.
  

My two favorite things about the following video of Amalia eating:

1. The Gorbachev-esque blob of applesauce on Obama's forehead.
   
2. The impromptu refrain of "no more monkeys jumping on the bed" in the middle of dinner.
   

TDY Day 36: Reemergence

The temperature is back up into the 50s this weekend and most of the snow has melted, which is such a relief--though it has caused some problems of its own.

I saw some kids playing soccer in shorts and t-shirts today. It's amazing how warm 50 degrees feels when it hasn't climbed above the 30s in months.

The pictures below were taken by Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Colin yesterday afternoon.

TDY Day 34: Can you do it?

Here's Lily reading an Eric Carle book to Amalia, who likes interactive books best.