Wednesday, April 22, 2009

and even more!...

After brunch and some more sugared playtime, we decided it was a nice day for a drive. It was only 45 degrees or so, mind you, but it was sunny! So we headed out for a drive eastward along Connecticut's sea towns and ended up at Harkness Memorial State Park.

It was cold and windy, but beautiful, and Aurora was so happy to be at the beach.



The mansion. The Harkness' summer house ;) Aurora really liked the house, even though we didn't go in, when we pulled into our parking spot at home she said "no, no, go to new house, go to new house!! All done this house!" Apparently, she wants a mansion set on 215 acres of Connecticut coastline. Go figure.


And this, is what we came back home to. It was late and we were all exhausted, so even though I had planned a big dinner (complete with ham!), we ordered pizza. We had our Easter feast on Monday ;)

and more...

The morning was spent, as is typical for Aurora, in Dance. With just a little extra 'kick' in her step this time, thanks to jelly beans ;)

The Easter Bunny had hidden the eggs Aurora had dyed, along with a few special ones he had brought, all around the living room. Aurora had a great time finding them all!

The table all set out for brunch. We had a yummy blueberry french toast casserole, a fruit plate with strawberry cheesecake fruit dip and of course some eggs!

Aurora was very excited to see the fruit plate ;)

And trying on the pillowcase dress I made her.

Ok, Easter morning pics, finally.

All the bunnies in our home had come out to wait up for the Easter Bunny.
We found them all still here Easter morning.

The Easter Bunny left footprints all the way from the door to Aurora's playtable!
They were rainbow colored, and we speculated that maybe he got a little messy while dying eggs.

The Easter Bunny supports handmade!! What a socially conscious rabbit he is!
He (she?) left me a note saying that this super cute bunny family was from
Imagination Kids on Etsy.

More handmade goodies!! The pillow case dress is Mama-made from a vintage thrifted pillow case, the squirrel purse and teeny felted bunny are from Beneath the Rowan Tree and the hairclips are from Lilibug.

Aurora was so excited she could barely contain herself! She set out her Easter dress the night before and put it on first thing, even before she came out.

more to come...

Thursday, April 16, 2009

TSWD

The Simple Woman's Daybook entry for this week (many days late):

FOR TODAY (April 16, 2009)...
Outside my window... Tiny leaf buds on the big Maple in the courtyard. The ones at the top are just about ready to burst open... I think the warmth we have coming the next couple days should hopefully do it!
I am thinking...about how to go about gardening this year. Definitely want too, but it might be a lil' tricky since the space, well ya' know doesn't actually belong to us, but to Yale. Think I've got a plan though....
I am thankful for... warmth and sunshine!
From the learning rooms...playdough making, a trip to the library, seed planting, and wet-on-wet watercolors this week.
From the kitchen...A chili and cornbread bake for tonight, and perhaps some muffin making this afternoon.
I am wearing... jeans and a green tee (Oh, my, I think that's what I was wearing last entry... )
I am creating... A reversible pinafore for Aurora, using this tutorial... just at the pattern making part right now.
I am going...To OSV on monday to meet up with some very dear friends from Ithaca-- Diane and her daughter Grace, who I used to take care of. We're very excited!!!!
I am reading... Just finished Eat, Pray, Love. Got the Singing Day in the mail, and read through that... not sure what's next.
I am hoping...for a not too bad spring allergy season. Blossoms are on the bough, though...and I started sneezing yesterday.
I am hearing... more and more Dan Zanes... which is a nice change to Raffi. Not that I don't love Raffi...
Around the house... I set up a small art desk for Aurora, separate post to come soon, so she has a place to color etc. without worry (not that she does) about getty marker, crayon, glue, paint or glitter on the floor, table, couch etc...
One of my favorite things... watching creamer swirl into coffee... seriously, one of the best parts of waking up.
A few plans for the rest of the week: lots of outside play- it's going to be warm! And our friend Jessica's baby shower Saturday
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Easter! (the beginning at least)

Our Easter Celebration actually started at the end of March for us this year, as that is when they had the Spring Egg Hunt here at our apartments. Aurora didn't quite understand the idea at first... she just kept commenting on how pretty the eggs were and naming colors. But she caught on soon...

And was then determined to find every one!
On Easter Eve, we dyed our eggs...

And set the table for Easter Brunch. The table cloth is mama-made, but apparently I don't know how to measure, so it's too short on the ends... I'll have to alter it for next year ;)
Pics of Easter Day to come soon!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Disneyland Pt. 2

More Disney:

Warming up to Mickey

On the tram from parking garage to park entrance.... nearly as exciting as the park itself to Aurora.

Trying to get her thumb out of her mouth for just two seconds for a picture.

The look she gives you when you try to take her thumb out of her mouth. Why'd I even try?

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Trying something new...

So, I've stumbled upon this cool idea ... The Simple Woman's Daybook. Each Monday (yes, I know today is Tuesday... but I still want to start this week), you journal about what's going on in your home, life, mind, etc... And the format seems like it will be particularly easy for me to follow. This blog has been a great way to record the day-to-day memories taking place in our lives... but this will add a bit more structure, which I think is needed, while also helping me to slow down and simply notice. So, jumping right in....

FOR TODAY (Tuesday, April 7th, 2009)...

Outside my window...Sunshine! Rain was forcast, so its a very welcome suprise. Chilly though, only around 47. And pretty breezy too. Warm enough though, to open wide a couple windows and 'change the air'. Makes all the difference.

I am thinking... about the brother-in-law of a friend who passed away recently from complications related to pnemonia. He was 29. The same age as Pete. He had 3 small daughters.

I am thankful for... a healthy husband and healthy daughter.... and the many kisses, hugs and
I love you's we give each other everyday.

From the learning rooms...Oh my, has there been a lot of action in the block area recently!!! Aurora is really starting to be able to 'build' what she sees in her mind. She creates and recreates very complex scenes of houses, barns and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (We did just get back from Disney, afterall. Funny thing, though, she calls it goat-house! She knows full well it's proper name... she just thinks Goathouse sounds better, I guess!). I'm also seeing a lot of symmetry in her block creations which is a new development and one I wouldn't have expected to see quite yet. She also has these small rainbow cube blocks, which she forms into squares and rectangles of different sizes.... and recently she was dividing them into threes... she set up 3 brick blocks and then placed 3 rainbow cubes on each block! She will often build equally-- if she adds a block here, she adds one there, to keep it balanced. She has her daddy's spatial and linear thinking, this one.

From the kitchen... Spaghetti, meatballs, salad and bread for dinner tonight... a welcome classic. Also, trying very much to find the particular recipe for Hot Cross Buns that was such a hit last year. Where did I put it !?!

I am wearing... Brown cords and a green tee.... and slippers.

I am creating...well, I'm working on clearing off my sewing table so I can create. I have many projects in my head, though.

I am going... to Trader Joes this afternoon.

I am reading... More of Eat, Pray, Love. I had set it down for a while, but picked it back up recently. I'm waiting for the copy of The Singing Day, to arrive... possibly today... then I'll probably be reading that, I'm sure.

I am hoping...for some warmer temps soon.

I am hearing... silence coming across the baby monitor! Aurora is actually napping today! This has become the exception rather than the rule.

Around the house...General cleaning and decluttering. Our spring seasons table is coming along nicely... with the center pieces a large vase of newly leafing peach twigs, from which we are hanging one decorative Easter egg each day as we count down to Easter. Aurora is loving this and I know it will become a cherished tradition over the years.

One of my favorite things... All of the small signs that Spring truly is coming... the tiny buds on the trees, the daffodils, the herb seedlings Aurora and I started.

A few plans for the rest of the week: More getting ready for Easter... I have the Easter table cloth to sew up, Aurora and I are going to craft a small gift for her friends, and I need to decide what we're having for Easter Dinner.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

The sun just setting over the horizon at Balboa Peninsula. A scene, growing up, I was very familiar with.... but wouldn't realize how much I cherished 'til I moved away.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Vacation Highlights... Disneyland pt.1

We purchased 3-day park-hopper passes so we could stretch out our time at Disney---Definitely the way to go, as Disneyland can be pretty overwhelming to the most seasoned of Disney enthusiasts (myself and Pete), let alone a two year old with limited media exposure. This way, we could come just for the first part of the day and then head back to Gran's for a nap... or in the case of our last trip- just for the evening and fireworks. And, being only two, A was still free- yay!

Yay! Disneyland!

A very common, very cute quizzical expression of Aurora's

The requisite Mickey-shaped cookie. (took her pretty much the rest of the vacation to finish)

On her favorite ride... the Teacups

First meeting with mickey...not so sure. She was so excited to see him- till we got up close ;)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

We're back! Vacation Highlights Pt. 1

Well, we've been back for well over a week now...sorry about the delay, folks. We're having computer *issues*-- grrr... this thing's only two years old!!!

Anyway, vacation really started before we headed out to California. Aurora's Grandmommy very generously gifted us a membership to Old Sturbridge Village... which is a place I simply adore... Thankyou Grandmommy! So, we headed up to enjoy a beautiful, unseasonably warm March day back in the 1860's. Aurora's grandfather drove down from NH to spend the day with us as well.

These sweet little lambies were less than a week old!


Aurora was *very* interessted in the nursing mama and baby sheep.
In her very excited words: "Lamb is dink Mama milk!"

A and her adoring Grandpa :)
O.K. now for California... well the beginnings at least, it will take several posts to cover everything, for sure.

The plane ride went really well I must say...and I was quite nervous about this part. We took Aurora's carseat on the plane with us (a big britax marathon) which I believe was absolutely the right thing to do. Not only was she much safer, but she felt much more secure and at ease as well, since it was so familiar. Aurora happens to love her carseat, often referring to it as "my pink carseeeeee!". A few things we had learned from flying last year (which didn't go so well), that made things much smoother this year was a) get a seatbelt extender from the attendent as you board the plane-- sooooo much easier to install a carseat with that ... and b) this GoGo Kidz thing is awesome.

A couple weeks before we left we had gotten this DVD called Shae by Air for Aurora to watch. It follows a young girl, Shae, on her airplane journey...everything is covered: packing, waiting in line to check in, taking your shoes off to go through security and your belongings (including Shae's teddy) going through the x-ray machine, being on the plane and the noise of taking of and the "tickle" in your ears.... even not kicking the seat in front of you. I think it was really, really helpful for Aurora, who can often be very intimidated by new situations and surroundings (who's not, really?). A lot of our conversations that day included the words "just like Shae!"

We arrived very late (by our internal East Coast clocks), but Aurora, having spent the last hour or so of the flight asleep, was ready to go... of course. Luckily she had a very happy and willing playmate in Gran waiting for her... complete with cuddles, snacks and gifts.

The next morning we walked down to visit the water and sand. (Aurora's Gran lives on Balboa Island... a small man-made island in Newport Bay....so we didn't have to walk far ;) )

Here she is re-acclimating to the, um, sunshine and warmth.
After a nap (much needed by all) we went to visit my Grandmother, Aurora's Great Grandma Bowler...who Aurora continually refers to as "Grandma Bowler and the little dog". (Apparently, to Aurora, my grandmother and her dog, Tipper, are one in the same ).

Aurora had a great time exploring Grandma Bowler and the little dog's back yard. Which was so amazingly, wondrously, spectacularly lush and green, to our slowly thawing Connecticut selves.
Did I mention there was sunshine?!?!
Well, this is just the very beginning. So, stay tuned!