it was an amazing weekend.

we did it! we had a relatively low stress, nearly relaxing, sun-filled weekend!!!

we kicked off the long weekend with both of us being home on friday. kids had no school so we set out to give them a much needed break from each other. i took sassy to build.a.bear (leave.u.broke) where we outfitted a rainbow colored bear that we filled with  stuffing, love and a heart ($3), a voice message ($5) and with sunglasses, clothing, and a sleeping bag ($25). $60 later, sassy was proudly sassing random mall goers with her (so gay) new friend “rainbow” on her hip. we then had a special mama/sassy lunch and headed to I.kea for one thing. (ha!). 

after loading up the car with our many one things from ikea, we headed home. sass sound asleep in her car seat hugging rainbow. when we got home, sass runs upstairs to show mommy her new bear. mommy asks, “is rainbow a boy or a girl?” sassy looks at the bear quizzically and then looks right back up at L and declares, with certainty, “a BEAR!” duh. you challege that gender binary, sass!!! that night we met at our favorite neighborhood restaurant for dinner with friends (it was unmistakeably lesbos with adopted bi-racial kids night at the dog.wood). the kids ran around and danced to the live music and we were lucky enough to have a bird sighting!!!!! ohhhh she was so cute ……. Yay! bird!

saturday morning we walked around enjoying the nice weather and the farmer’s market! we picked lots of yummy fruits and veggies and then walked to the arboretum for some nola/kid run-around time. we went home, napped. had auntie shells over for some bbq, drank some wine, watched a movie and slept with the windows open feeling the cool breeze as we snuggled the petrified nola. nola hated the fireworks.

sunday we got up and without skipping a beat we headed to the beach. the kids had a blast! the tide pools were warm, the digging was good, the wind was a bit much, and the kids being lulled to nap by the sound of the waves and the warm sun made me feel like everything in life was gonna be ok.

until the drive home.

but even that wasn’t so bad. nothing that a bagel-stopper in the mouth couldn’t squelch. 

we arrived home in time to swim the the kiddie pool outside. the kids gave nola a bath in the pool … little nola was so patient with them.  i’m always overwhelmed with love and patience when i see a family dog taking a kids rubbing, scrunching, licking, dressing up, bathing, teasing, tail-pulling in stride. nola just standing there with a look on her face like, “it’s ok moms, i know how to handle this, they are just kids. my kids. i can handle it.”

we cooked our fresh veggies from the farmer’s market out on the porch. ate a lot of watermelon, threw the kids in the tub, put them down early, both asleep by 730.  mommy and i drank a beer, watched a movie, and decided that things are getting better and better. and boy, did we need that.

pics to come soon……………

Goin to the beach!!!!

photo posted from my iPhone

swimming lessons work!

we are so proud to introduce our little fish!!!! 

 

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARIES TO US!!!!

1 year ago today, my beautiful wife and i were legally married in the great state of MA surrounded by friends and family from near and far. 

  

6 months ago today our two amazingly wonderful children came home with us. they’ve grown so much in the past 6 months it’s hard to believe that first day when they were so little and scared and shy. 

our first photo of them the day we met them…

      

it’s such an emotional journey looking back over the last year of our lives. there’s so much to reflect on and so little time to reflect on it!!! 

we’ve reached 6 months which mean we can finally legally adopt our kids. however, for a few reasons, we are waiting until Na.tional Adopti.on Da.y in November. 

there’s more to say here, alas, one of our children is screaming his head off in bed. to be continued….

just sent from my brother

hancock, ms city hall 4 years after katrina

it’s official

with the help of bebe and pops (how does a family of 4 afford to fly?????) we are going down to new.orleans to meet the extended family!!!!WOOOOOHOOOOO!!! can’t wait till august 14!!!!

now thinking about our 2 kids on an airplane……. that’s a WHOLE other story. i think i should start praying for patience and forgiveness now.

dancing

now for the cute stuff…

breaking up fights. it’s our other full time job.

just another night at hotel VR…

(oh did i forget to mention ….???? we’ve been at the residnece in going on two weeks as our apt. is getting de-leaded)

…L and i just trying to wind down with a glass of wine but noooooooooooooooooooooo. there is no winding down anymore.

our son and his shoes

screech loves bball. i don’t mean love in the way that many two year olds love balls or things that roll. i mean, our son, can dribble with BOTH hands, catch, and transfer the ball from hand to hand, and shoot a bball the correct way – whatever that means (this from our sporty dyke friends). now, we have nothing to do with this. we know nothing about basketball. L is afraid of any ball coming at her. i grew up doing theatre, never played sports, know ZERO about sports. all we know is that people are thoroughly amazed at our son’s talent for basketball. or maybe i should say PASSION. the first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning is finds a ball and dribbles. we laughed a few months back that he’s gonna be that kid that carries a basketball with him everywhere he goes. he’s TWO and it’s already happening. he hates being without his ball. it’s the ultimate bribe and the ultimate consequence – “if you don’t do xyz bubye bball…” the only books he wants to read are book that feature bballs. he has never watched a cartoon. he prefers to watch ESPN and will watch it and say things like, “SCORE!” and jump up and down. 

i mean, i’m not saying he’s some kind of prodigy, i’m just sayin…. the kid loves his basketball. 

along with the actual basketball, screech loves all things that go WITH bball. refuses to take off his pierce jersey. and DROOLS over the kids in his classes’ “bball shoes.” you know which shoes i’m talking about, right? the $45 kid Jorda.ns. 

we held off. L would still be holding off. but i did it and i can’t say i have regrets. the other morning at drop off, after watching my bball obsessed son try to take off another kid’s air jordan.s, screaming “MYYYYYYYY BBALL SHOE!!!!!” and his laughing teacher looking at me and saying, “you gotta get that boy some SHOES!” i felt like the lily white mom, my boy decked out in his trendy tsukihoshis when really the kid just wants BBALL SHOES. he’s TWO. this already? i thought i could get at least a couple more years out of the trendy sneaks and the non sports apparel. i was so wrong. he has clearly formed his identity as bball player and doesn’t NEED but ENJOYS all things sports. 

so i go to foot.locker. i ask the saleslady, “if you were a 2 yr old boy who loves bball, what shoes would you want?” she points out two pair, one pair being the new IT shoe and one being the most popular all time toddler bball shoe. neither were really attractive to me. i guess i don’t get it. no. i DON’T get it. so, typical me, i went home and did some research on the history of air.jordans. with a new appreciation for the shoe – i went back to the store and bought both and decided to let him choose and return the reject. BIG mistake. 

now for the cute part. i couldn’t wait to see his face when he opened the box. my wife, rolling her eyes the whole time repeating, “do you KNOW what you are starting here??? this is an investment??” me arguing back, “if he were a violin prodigy, wouldn’t you buy him a violin???” L *rolls eyes*…. screech opens the box and OMG. HUGS the shoes, KISSES them and holds them like a baby. we put the shoes on him and he is so excited he’s shaking. at bedtime, we had to wrestle them off of him. i think he would sleep with them on if he could. 

i pack the second pair up to return. sassy got a pair of rubik’s cube convers.e high tops. she loves them. 

i’ll never forget the look on his face. his first bball shoes. yeah, from the looks of it, we need to start saving now for a childhood of very expensive shoes. from now on he’ll get them as gifts on special occasions. i’m not looking to raise a shoe brat. when he’s old enough, he’ll work for them, for sure. i think, at least for a few years, we have good the perfect behavior mod reward. good behavior = bball shoes! voila! 

as i type this he is strolling the shoes in his stroller. 

i have no regrets.