And the livin' is easy...

Audrey and Alexander take an after-dinner swing in our neighbor Linda's hammock.

No Loud Soup, Please

My cooking is notable for Audrey not because of flavor but because of the sounds it makes. When I got out the in-pot immersion blender the other day to puree some potato leek soup, she backed up nervously, then her eyes grew wide, and finally they filled with tears and I had to turn it off and wait until Scott got home to finish pureeing. She is still talking about the "loud soup" that Mommy made. And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, yesterday I left some burgers grilling in the pan without remembering to turn on the fan over the stove and I set off the smoke detector. She didn't cry this time, but she did give me that look that says she is going to be making a note of the incident later, in her more extensive report of my shortcomings.

The hats of summer solstice

Our neighbors threw a block party to celebrate the summer solstice and some of us made these fetching flower crowns to mark the occasion. All the neighborhood children slept soundly after chasing each other around and around and around the yard. You would not believe the amount of mud Audrey managed to accumulate in those sandals. Scott took this photo on the patio at about the crescendo of Audrey's wild, sugar-fueled, punch-drunk frenzy, just before she was dunked in the bathtub and packed off to bed.

Hoofers

I wasn't fast enough to catch this with the video camera on my phone, but Audrey and Sam danced on the coffee table, a sort of frantic, River Dance number with a little bit of Sammy Davis Jr. style tapping mixed in, all while holding hands. No one was hurt.

She said, "Broccoleen, pease."

Did I hear that correctly? Did my 21 month old just ask for more steamed broccoli? For the second evening in a row? And then actually consume that broccoli?

She did, dear readers. She really did.

I may not be doing everything right, but somebody needs to call the Nobel Committee for the Childrearing prize and tell them that you got a good candidate right here in Arlington, MA, at least on this one issue, at this one meal, on this one day.

I'll just take my bow quietly, in a somber and dignified way, here in my kitchen.

I am forced to learn how to use my camera phone

Scott has the camera with him this week in CA, so I had to actually figure out this new-fangled camera phone. And-- bonus round!- I even worked out how to send myself the image, although I can't claim to have worked this out on my own-- a friend told me how.

Two days of rain, so I got out the train set that I've kept hidden in the closet for just such an emergency and let Audrey spread the 10,000 different pieces all across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. I'll make no secret of the fact that I prefer children's toys that have only one or two main pieces, and do no sing, but I'm also learning to appreciate that a new and complicated toy can be a life-saver when there's no going to the playground.

Yesterday Audrey said to me, with a sad shake of her head and a sigh, "Daddy not home." Yeah.... I miss him too.

Perfect Day for a Really Big Handbag

Gorgeous weather today-- cool, sunny, and the yard looks as good as it's ever going to look!

These past three weeks or so Audrey has surprised us with several new words a day; sometimes we understand right away what she's saying and sometimes she has to repeat it to us several times, looking directly into our eyes and speaking slowing and clearly, the way you'd try to train a dog.

My favorite of her expressions right now is "Whoop-dee-whoop-dee-whoop-dee-DO!" She often amends that to "Whoop-dee-JANNA!" or "Whoop-dee-MAMA!" or Whoop-dee-BIRDS!", whatever the occasion calls for.

Tonight, a little "tzitza" for supper.

Audrey's pronunciation of pasta has kind of a Greek twist to it. It takes her a while to eat angel hair, but you are advised NOT to attempt to help her. Do. Not. Help. That makes her real, real mad, see.