Tony recently traveled to San Diego for the annual American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons convention. While there he picked up a few souvenirs for the kiddos and me. When he ran across these Luchador masks, he immediately bargained down the price in order to bring them home to Vincent.
For you see, frequently during the week the coffee table is cleared from the living room and the red carpet becomes a wrestling ring. Fortunately, we have a more than willing female to referee the matches and the mother sits back and enjoys the entertainment (when I'm not bracing myself for injury of my youngest).
The masks have upped the game and the giggles are constant. Sophia enjoys declaring the "winner" and creating funny names for the contestants ("Tougherbat!"). I enjoy watching safely from the sidelines. Just check out the fun....
This is what happened a couple of weeks ago when Tony was post call:
He was trying to be funny, showing me how soft the socks I bought him were. As he laid down on the floor to demostrate he stated, "I could use them as a pillow!" I laughed, shook my head at the dark circles under his eyes, and left the room to put Vincent down for the night. Sophia was watching "Between the Lions," her new favorite show. When I returned to the kitchen, about 15 minutes later, there he was. Completely crashed out on the kitchen floor. Sad, sad. I really do not know how he does it. Up all night on trauma call, catching cat naps here and there, or as was the case last Monday night, no sleep at all. Then heading over to the dental school or the operating room the next morning for more procedures. No wonder he crashes on the hard kitchen floor with only a few pair of socks cushioning his head! Well, at least I bought the more expensive, cushionny socks. I would hate to think what the off-brand would feel like! :)
In our home, this is how we refer to really yucky things. All those years as a speech therapist resulted in a tendency to make up nonsense, rhyming words. That and sometimes I think I'm losing my mind. Similar to Dr. Seuss yet without the charm and colorful illustrations. Other made up words in our home? Pee-yooshky (let's just say we are using this in potty training), Soph la Doph (Sophia) Vincent Vooshky (Vincent) Grits Grets (Greta) Momini (Mommy) Daddy Doo (Tony hates this but it's a favorite of Sophia's), and several others that come and go that may or may not be repeated every again.
Back to yuckie yookies. Due to extreme boredom this morning (it is another cold day here in Alabama and in an effort not to get out and spend unnecessary money in warm stores, we are stuck inside) I decided to vacuum under my couch cushions. I was already vacuuming our living room rug (it requires a weekly vacuum) and thought "Hey, I haven't vacuumed under the cushions in a very long time. It's probably getting pretty bad under there." I had no idea. Yuckie Yookies everywhere. After I threw all the cushions on the floor Sophia exclaimed with great delight, "Look at all those Fruit Loops!" I literally held my breath hoping she would not grab the dusty, hairy Fruit Loops for a mid-morning snack. She didn't. Oh, thank goodness. She did, though, stand mesmerized as I vacuumed up those yuckie yookies vowing to never let it get this bad again. I mean, really, the hair, the pens, the assorted cereals, the crumbs. It was bad friends. Let me tell you. Bad. Sheer boredom will no longer push me to this point. I will embrace the vacuum. I will no longer eat cereal with my 2 year old on the couch. I will retrieve any pens that may fall down. I will take an anti-shedding agent so that my hair will not fall into the crevices. I will apply this agent to husband while he sleeps.
O.K, maybe not. I will retrieve those pens. I will embrace the use of my vacuum on a more regular basis. And friends, come on over and sit on my couch. No yuckie yookies will lurk under your tooshie. I promise.
Let me start off by saying that my bloodline has never been short on opinions - on both sides - double whammy. In general, I tend to really really like something and want all my loved ones and friends to experience that same love and appreciation. As in my love of coffee, stationery, old houses, locally owned stores and restaurants, Thymes lotion, and RobinElla (just to name a few). Or on the other side of the coin, I can really dislike something such as licorice, fennel seed, public rest stops, clutter on table tops, and Englebert Humperdink. But sometimes I surprise myself with a change of heart, of such I experienced this Christmas season as I pushed little Sophia in her beep beep car around the neighborhood.
During those pre-children years I would snub my nose at all those "tacky" Christmas lawn decorations. Blow up manager scenes, ridiculously large blow up snowmen and Santas, and the moving white light reindeer that I found classy when first introduced but soon found quite overused. And the worst of all? Large painted wood cutouts lined with lights. Sorry, I'm probably offending someone - give me a second, I will redeem myself.
So there I was pushing Sophia around the neighborhood, Vincent strapped to my front in the Bjorn and there it was. The tackiest, most profuse display of holiday cheer I've ever seen. Santa and 3 reindeer on a seesaw - mechanically moving up and down. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - inflatable style. A flock of geese with Santa hats and lights, a Dalmatian on a red fire engine, the classic white light reindeer, and the icing on the cake? A massive blow up carousel with Frosty, Santa, and all his reindeer. And as my mind starting going through a litany of criticisms I looked down at the little munchkin, eyes bright, mouth wide open, perfectly still. "Do you like it Sophia?" "Look mommy, a Dalmatian doggy!" "Look Santa goes up and down!" "Hi duckie, duckie! Cootchie-cootichie-coo duckie!"
And now I get it. It's all about the delight it brings someone else. And the ironic thing is - I cannot wait to walk by that house in the afternoon, to see the delight on Sophia's face, matched only by the little boy looking out the window from inside the house, no doubt loving that people have come from all over the neighborhood to admire his front lawn. I get it. I get it. And will I someday decorate my front lawn with Christmas cheer? Well, lets just start with some white lights and maybe those moving reindeer.
Hey, hey, hey it's the number of the day! All those Sesame Street watchers will now have that song stuck in their head. This marks my 100th post on "Knit Together." I must say, I've really enjoyed this little journey in the blogosphere. It's neat to occasionally scroll back through time and see Sophia as an infant, a new walker, and a new talker. And Vincent's birth and those first few weeks. Reading the posts I feel like I'm there again. For those who read this little blog, thanks! You are dear friends.
And while we are on the subject of Sesame Street, let me just tell you how much I LOVE this show. And not just me, Sophia too, and let's not forget Mama Jean who we have married off to Mr. Noodle. Seriously, I would love that man at our holiday gatherings. And he's just right for MJ - funny, cute, and she's always said, "Bald's o.kay too." :)
Why I love Sesame Street. First of all, do you remember Maria and Bob and Gordon from when we were kids? They are still on the show - looking quite a bit older (Bob is seriously getting frail - my favorite is when he's dressed up in a clown costume as Triangle Bob - these people are truly dedicated - he must be in his 70's by now - good times). Do you remember Super Grover, Big Bird, Snuffleupagus, Bert and Ernie, the Grouch? Still there. They still have the same quirks too - Bert with his oatmeal and pigeons, Ernie with his ADHD tendencies, Big Bird (a.k.a. the whiner), the Count with all that thunder, and Grover, well Grover is seriously hilarious to me. So clumsy and so passionate - love him. Tony and I are convinced that some of the short clips are from our childhood too. There is a clip from the Bronx zoo of some kids whose children are probably watching Sesame Street now - the 80's garb is way groovy and the perms are out of control.
Other things I love - it's a very cultural experience. Ballet, symphony, art school. And the music - guest appearances from Sugarland, John Legend (never heard of these two before I started watching the show), Diana Krall, and one of my favorites a duet between Ernie and Aaron Nevill (click to watch - lovin' the 80's garb in this clip too). Cameos of Jack Black, Heidi Klum, Jessica Alba, and David Beckham. Not to mention it's filmed on the streets of New York. What does it say about how my life has changed that a trip to New York would definitely include a stop at the set of Sesame Street?
And finally, the things Sophia has learned. She uses these two words appropriately in conversation as a result of watching our little muppet friends: scrumptious and pirouette. The latter she says while spinning on her carpet: "I'm pirouetting." She learned the ABC song and can identify a few numbers and letters - definitely from the show. I know, I know TV rots the brain. I would agree for lots of shows out there. But Sesame Street has it down right - repetition, repetition, repetition and children will learn. Set it to music - make the segments short - all proven methods of learning. And for the most part, Sophia and I watch it together and I narrate throughout. We started watching around 15 months and she loved it from the get go - only watching 10 -15 minutes at the beginning while sitting on the couch with me, sharing eachothers cereal. Now she can watch a full episode while sitting in her high chair at breakfast.
I never thought I would enjoy watching children's programming. But Sesame Street bridges the gap. It's something from my childhood that I can share with her. So you can only guess the theme of Sophia's 2nd birthday party - Sesame Street. I'm thinking about making these cupcakes. Aren't they cute?
So many fun things to experience with a toddler. Other things I've rediscovered? Eggo waffles - yes please, with butter and syrup. Strawberry milk - must shake thoroughly to enjoy. Pouring over toy magazines for hours. And let's not forget the blanket tent balanced atop four feet stuck in the air, a little girl and her mommy underneath laughing and being silly.
I am posting the following pictures of a recent photo session after church.
Sophia says, "Save me please!"
"Is Mommy being tortured?"
"Why is mommy always restraining me?"
Half way there.
The best of the bunch.
Bless Tony's heart, he is always trying to line his girls up for commemorative photos of this time in our lives. Unfortunately, I am short on patience during photo time. Something you need a lot of with a "spirited baby." Yes, we took a quiz and Sophia falls under the category "spirited baby." Basically, a baby who is on the go and interested in everything. Constantly exploring, running, and learning. It's so fun to watch her learn new things everyday, even if it's right in the middle of a photo session!
What does the library have to do with weather, you ask? Glad you asked. The library is the perfect place to go in all kinds of weather - when it's too hot, too cold, overcast, sunny, windy, rainy (am I starting to sound like Bubba's monologue on what you can do with shrimp on Forrest Gump?). I seriously love the library. Before we had Sophia and when we were completely broke (that's not changed too much :)), Tony and I would go to Barnes and Noble and look at books for hours. Now that we have entered babyland Barnes and Noble is no longer that attractive - mostly because we would have to purchase all the books that Sophia either mouthed or drooled on. Fortunately the closest library is only a 2 mile round trip walk from our house. Here are my reasons for loving my local library: puzzles, novel toys for Sophia, fish, birds, tons of other kids running around making all kinds of trouble categorizing Sophia's puzzle piece scavenger hunt as a minor offense, books, books, and more books, free DVD rentals, parenting books for free, Sophia smiling and saying "hi" to complete strangers, books, books, and more books. Just so you know, I also associate libraries with maintaining your sanity with a newborn (just get out of the house!), homelessness (if I was homeless this is where I would spend my waking hours), and interesting people I would like to befriend (librarians are just intriguing to me and I would like one as a friend someday).
Here are some pictures from a trip to the library a few months ago:
Checking out the birds - Why are they so scared of me?
Caution: wind blown hair at the toy table!
Checking out my library book for the week: Elmo!
This last Friday Tony, Sophia, and I bundled up and headed to one of the public libraries across town. We had the best time - I think I checked out 8 books. Sophia played with her daddy on the computer and stole books from an innocent 6 year old. I intervened, Sophia cried, and I began to wonder "is she old enough for the concept of sharing?" Better figure that one out before the next baby.
Bundled up and ready to go
Playing on the computer with mommy
Other weather related events. One advantage of really cold winter weather is really cool winter sales. I headed to Janie and Jack on Saturday to hit their winter clearance sale. And this time I was buying for the little mister, not Miss Sophia (although, I couldn't resist - I bought her the sweetest lace trimmed onesie). Here's a picture of one of the things I found for the little mister:
Great deals!
And finally the seriously cold, cold spell broke this morning, rising above freezing. The dogs were happy, they no longer had to stay cooped up inside - remember they are shaved to the skin and I don't want PETA showing up at my door. And after Sophia's afternoon nap she and I headed out for one of our long afternoon walks. The usual route - down to Cool Beans to buy the mocha that would inevitably cancel out all the calories I was trying to burn by walking in the first place. As I walked back home, checking out the usual houses, I thought to myself: "I'm Carl Ray's granddaughter." I, like my grandfather, feel the need to check on the neighborhood each week. For 45 years or so, he's taken his small plane into the air once or twice a week to check on the neighboring farms and towns. And before touching down, he would be sure to buzz our house, resulting in grandkids running outside waving frantically. On a much smaller scale, I feel the need to walk the same route each week checking on the construction projects in the neighborhood, the local stores, and any new baby bows on the front lawn. I'm glad I married Tony who forces me to venture down a different road sometimes. Well, Sophia and I made it back home and I managed to only spill about 1/4 of my coffee drink - a record!
Here's hoping you are staying warm and cozied up in this winter weather! If you're starting to feel a little stir crazy, head to your local library. The magazines are a great place to start.
Tony found these Ray Bans in his closet this evening. They belonged to his dad in the 80's. I hated to burst his bubble but I explained that although they are back in style they are not quite his "look." And by "look" I mean not for a man who can be frequently found with a diaper bag flung over his shoulder and a car seat in the back of his very responsible Camry. But I must say, he does look kind-of cute!
Are you familiar with Marc Chagall? If not, check out the link from his name. He is my favorite modern artist and I would love for you to learn more about him. I have an interesting history with Marc Chagall. No, I didn't meet him on the subway in New York and I was never invited for tea at his daughter Ida's home in France but I do love his work. And just like any original art that you see, the artwork itself is only one piece of the puzzle, it's the journey in discovering the painter and his work that can make you feel so attached. I would like to share my journey with Chagall with you:
Chagall Encounter #1: Chagall, for me, began with Kate. I was a junior at Baylor University and working at The Art Center of Waco as the Weekend Activities Coordinator (fancy title for what amounted to a one woman set up and clean up crew for the weekend art activities). I absolutely loved this job! I've loved art since high school but I was more on the art APPRECIATION side - not the actual creation - can't draw a stick figure if my life depended on it. So to hang out with these people, these artists, was just too cool. Every weekend people from the community could pay $3.00 to watch an artist demonstrate their craft, followed by the opportunity to create a version of that art themselves. My job was to set up the room with the needed supplies, inform the local media of the week's theme, run around during the demonstration and grab anything the artist needed, and then clean up the mess afterwards. I was payed little more than minimum wage but would have done it for free. Well anyway, Kate worked there too. I don't remember her actual title but she is one of those people that you meet in a group and immediately wish to know better. To sum it all up, Kate is cool and artsy - two things I am not, so immediately I admired her. Here's what made Kate, to me, completely too cool for school: big, artsy earrings, ability to pull hair up in a bun with just a pencil, lived in New York, worked at the Met (can you believe it?), lived in an old, bungalow house, had a very large painting of a Jewish man in her entryway, is a strong believer in Jesus Christ, and felt a calling to the Jewish people. O.kay already, "What about Marc Chagall?," you ask. Well, Kate gave Tony and I a book for Christmas that had the painting Equestrian by Marc Chagall on it's sleeve. When she gave us the book she told me all about Chagall, how he was her favorite artist, how his paintings were dreamlike. Well, of course, I was smitten with him too and thus began my interest in Marc Chagall. I didn't keep in touch with Kate after leaving Baylor. Last I heard, she was no longer at The Art Center. I hope she is well and happy. Someday I would like to say THANK YOU for introducing me to this great artist.
ENCOUNTER #2: The Houston Museum of Fine Arts. The Woman and the Roses by Marc Chagall. First time to see an original Chagall. Tony was at Rice University for the summer doing a dental enrichment program. One day, while he was in class, I toured The Houston Museum of Fine Arts. I splurged and bought the audio tour and fortunately this painting was on the tour. I wrote down this quote by Marc Chagall regarding his dreamlike visions in his paintings, why people float, why the dreamlike colors, "The streets are mine but there are no houses. They have been gone since childhood. The inhabitants wonder through the air in search of a home. They live in my soul." Common elements in Chagall's paintings: his hometown in Russia, fiddlers on the roof, and chickens (both symbolic of his Jewish heritage and community), and of course, his life long love, Bella Chagall. Go to this amazing museum in Houston, sit on the bench right in front of this painting, and think about someone you love (seriously, it's completely romantic).
The Woman and the Roses, Marc Chagall
ENCOUNTER #3: This encounter beats all. Well, actually #4 is tied. December 2001, on my honeymoon with Tony in Maui. We decide to go to this trendy little town rumored to have several art galleries. So, we dress up nice for the evening, which to us at the time, meant khaki shorts and a nice top. And in Maui terms, that's really nice. I'm envisioning local art. Nice beach scenes, maybe some cheesy dolphin paintings (no offense, dolphin painting lovers). So we enter a gallery and start looking around. Oh look, there is a Picasso. A Picasso? I lean in to view the price of the print (surely, it's a print?). $18.00, maybe $25.00 with that really nice gold frame, I think. Oh, no! What? $15,000.00? Holey Moley! That's a lot of cash for a print! Oh wait, it's an original and it's for sale. I about hyperventilated. I rushed around the gallery searching for Tony (we had split up yet again - common issue for us in bookstores and as chances would have it, art galleries). I told him about my amazing discovery and we then ran around the gallery together, completely amazed that famous artists like Picasso, Renoir, and as we would discover later, Chagall, had original works of art for sale. Call me naive but I thought they would all be in museums by now. Well the night was young and we spent the rest of the evening touring the numerous galleries in this little fishing town. And finally, Chagall encounter #2. There they were: original Chagall's for sale. We stood there admiring them. I really can't remember what they looked like but I believe most of them were drawings. And as we stood there a tall man came up beside us and inquired about what brought us to Maui. "Honeymoon." "Do you like Chagall?" "Oh yes!" I state enthusiastically. "How about taking one home as a beautiful memento of your honeymoon?" No words, just laughter from the two, ridiculously young (we were 21) honeymooners. Tony, "I don't think so." Quick exit out the front door. What was this man thinking? The piece of art was expensive (and that's putting it mildly) and we were kids! It must have been the khaki shorts. Great memory! Every now and then, Tony and I talk about it and laugh.
Encounter #4: May 2007, Rome. Chagall delle meraviglie. Watch the video below if you want to know about this exhibition in Rome. You can see some of the paintings in the exhibit and the actual gallery where we were. It also has some great insights into his paintings. There we were, taking a late afternoon walk toward Capitoline Hill when we see a large banner with Chagall's name. Chagall, in Rome? He's a modern painter, this is the city of ancient art. He's Russian, lived in France, fled to New York. What's he doing in Rome? Turns out it was a visiting exhibit, only there for a time. A time we just happened to be there. Unexpected and wonderful. Tony and I were beyond the point of exhausted. I was 3 months pregnant. We had spent the whole day walking and I did not have the energy to get back to the hotel much less stand on my feet for another 2 hours in a museum. But I wasn't going to miss this and as luck would have it, the gallery was open late that night. For me, it was the highlight of the whole trip. To see Chagall's romantic paintings, in the most romantic place in the world, with the love of my life (Peter and Andrew, your efforts in reading this far are now rewarded with images of your sister kissing Tony in a far off museum in Italy - sorry-not a very nice reward :) ) - it was truly great. O.kay, I changed my mind, Encounter #4 wins.
Here are our favorite paintings from the exhibit:
La passeggiate, 1917-1918, 70 X 165.3 cm (check out the measurements, it was huge)
Gli amanti in rosa, 1916, 69 X 55 cm
The above two paintings were my favorite. They feature Bella, Marc Chagall's first wife who died unexpectedly when their daughter, Ida, was still young. He mourned her so much that he stopped painting for a full year. She is in so many of his paintings. Below is Tony's favorite painting. Sorry about the Italian titles. The book with the paintings we saw at the exhibition is in Italian and I, of course, have no idea what it says in English.
L'apparizione, 1917-1918, 157 X 140 cm (also huge)
Encounter #5: To be determined. Maybe New York to see his stained glass windows? Probably not Russia, too cold. France, someday way down the line when Sophia is old enough? Maybe she will like Chagall?
I know that I have digressed from the blog's usual work of art, sweet Sophia (or at least that's how we see her). But I hope you have enjoyed learning about my little journey with Chagall. Happy Birthday, Marc Chagall!
Those who knew me when I attended Baylor, knew about my obsession with Common Grounds, Baylor's coffee hotspot. This old bungalow house turned trendy coffee shop was the meeting place for friends, the study hall for late night crammers, and the after date drink stop for those not quite ready to go home.
Well, when we moved to San Antonio I pined over the loss of Common Grounds. San Antonio has no shortage of Starbucks but where could I find a locally owned coffee shop? Needless to say, I never found one (with the exception of a few in Stone Oak that were too far from our house to really enjoy). You can imagine my delight when we moved here and discovered a coffee shop only a mile away from our house. While on maternity leave, I have bundled little Sophia in the Bjorn and walked there almost on a daily basis.
I love being a little fly on the wall observing the different groups that come in. Right after Sophie was born college students crowded the shop, with books, notebook paper, and computers sprawled across every table. After finals were over, the place was empty with the exception of mother groups that came in every morning around 10 a.m. with their strollers and sibling toddlers in tow. This was a louder bunch, children running around drinking hot chocolate and mothers discussing everything from sleeping habits to the latest gossip in town. All very thin, very athletic, and with no make-up to speak of. It's fun to see moms like this - sort-of reminds me of those pictures in National Geographic of the tribal women banding together in their care for the young - yet with more clothes and trendy frothy drinks.
Last week I stopped by the coffee shop in the afternoon and the place was overrun with pre-teens on their way home from school. Now that's fun to watch. Outside, a group of boys were throwing rocks into the street and feeling oh so Evil Knevil as they ran to retrieve them. Of course, with the group of boys was the one token girl. Remember how in junior high there was always one or two girls who hung out with the boys? Personally, I was jealous of those girls. Inside Cool Beans, girls and boys formed separate groups but still remained very interested in eachother. And over in the corner, trying to go unnoticed were two mothers making sure nothing too outrageous happened. Pre-teens - so funny and so awkward!
It's funny, I can relate to all three of these groups. I was the student cramming for finals. I'm currently one of the young mothers. And someday I suppose I will be one of the vigilent mothers. But based on Sophia's good looks (that's a proud mom talking) I will have to sit a little closer to keep an extra close eye on her.
So if you come to visit us, pack a pair of walking shoes because a trip to the coffee shop is on the agenda. I recommend their house coffee or the White Christmas and don't forget the Tiramisu!
Great deals!
