Archive | 52 project

portraits of my children {15/52}

April 16, 2014 at 2:34 pm

The 52 Project: A portrait of my children once a week & every week in 2014.

Lena: Well, if these photos are not evidence enough, we went to the beach! Elliott’s parents visited for a few days, and we met up with them in Palermo on the western coast of Sicily. From Palermo, we drove a couple of hours down the coast to the beach town of San Vito Lo Capo, where Elliott had found this picturesque apartment rental for us. It was about 15 minutes from the beautiful nature reserve of Zingaro, where both of these photos were taken. Can you believe those colors?!

Gil: This little man might be turning a new leaf with his beach-phobia. He loved the smooth pebbles and amused himself for hours by throwing them against other rocks, piling them up on our laps, or trying to feed them to his Grampa. He also started saying “Lena” this week (“Neee-nah!”), is almost running, and continues to delight everyone he meets with his irresistible blond curls.

I’ve got more pretty photos to share of our hike, apartment, and time with grandparents. I’ll see if I can get my act together to share them tomorrow!

What were you up to this past weekend? Any vacation plans around spring break?

6 :: in 52 project, pretty places, San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily, travel

portraits of my children {14/52} + enchanted April

April 7, 2014 at 4:07 pm

The 52 Project: A portrait of my children once a week & every week in 2014.

Lena: She turned three last week! We celebrated quietly at home on April 3rd, and then the next day we had a little party at a playground nearby. She had requested a raspberry cake, so together we pureed raspberries, dyed the cake pink with them, whipped up frosting, topped it with more raspberries, and finally stuck the candles in and sang “Happy Birthday”!

(Unfortunately, as with Gil’s birthday cake, I’m pretty much the only one eating the leftovers. I know this will not be a problem in another couple of years, but for now… anyone want some cake?)

Gil: On Lena’s birthday, the kids and I took a walk to the playground in our town, where I captured this shot of Gil right by some Italian graffiti that says, “I love you.” He refused to make eye contact despite all my antics to get him to look at me and grin.

——–

Elliott had a four-day weekend, and it’s been so restful for all of us. (That’s unusual when I spend more time inside with two little kids, but this time it’s true!) Today we packed a picnic lunch and headed down into the valley to enjoy our enchanted April in Italy.

Lena said she was hot and wanted to take off her shirt (“like Daddy does”). It’s amazing how quickly she transformed from a cute little girl at a picnic into a total babe of the woods.

See what I mean? Viewer discretion advised: “On guard!”

And finally… I’m completely smitten with this little guy. Gil Garber, I’m so lucky to be the woman you love most!

What did you do this weekend?

5 :: in 52 project, family, hiking, Sicily

portraits of my children {13/52}

March 31, 2014 at 2:48 pm

The 52 Project: A portrait of my children once a week & every week in 2014.

Lena: This Saturday we finally drove up to play on the snow on Mt Etna, since it was probably our last chance of the season… and therefore our last chance ever in Sicily! There wasn’t a lot of snow left, but we found a beautiful spot under some trees where the drifts were still pretty deep. Lena loved it. Gil cried most of the time. Par for the course with those two?

Gil: On Friday night, Elliott and I gave both the kids major haircuts. I was terrified when Elliott went in with the scissors (“I said cut his hair at middle of his ears, not the middle of his forehead!”), but I had to eat my words later because Elliott really did an amazing job. He neatly and skillfully cut 2-3 inches off each child, and they both look tidier and happier, and very ready for spring. They were so overdue for haircuts that I feel like a weight has been lifted off my own head as well as theirs.

Here are a few more photos I took of Gil this morning so you can see the full extent of Elliott’s handiwork!

And one of the two of them this weekend:

What were you all up to this weekend? Any snow in your neighborhood? Or homemade haircuts?

7 :: in 52 project, Mt Etna

portraits of my children {12/52}

March 24, 2014 at 4:35 pm

The 52 Project: A portrait of my children once a week & every week in 2014.

Lena: My friend Sarah Daubert is visiting us for a week, and so we’ve been showing her around Sicily. On Friday we took her to Taormina, where I took both of these photos. Here Lena is demonstrating for Sarah how delicious a Sicilian cannolo is! (The plural is cannoli, as in, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli,” as they say in The Godfather. And The Godfather, as some know, “is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question. What should I pack for my summer vacation? ‘Leave the gun, take the cannoli.'”)

Gil: After making me so proud with his first steps, Gil’s given up on walking. Too much work when crawling is just so efficient, I guess! He’s clambering all over everything these days, eager to climb anywhere and try anything. Well, except the beach. Sarah and I took the kids there on Saturday, and Gil tentatively dipped his toes in the water and then freaked out. He acted like the waves were coming to get him and was literally climbing up me to get away from them. He also didn’t care for the sand and proceeded to sit in my lap during our entire beach trip. I was like, “Buddy, this will not fly. We live by the beach. We will be at the beach every weekend this summer if I have my way. Relaaaaxxxx.” Here’s hoping he gets the message!

29 :: in 52 project, Taormina

portraits of my children {11/52}

March 17, 2014 at 2:28 pm

The 52 Project: a portrait of my children once a week & every week in 2014.

Lena: Both of these photos are from last week in Florence with my family. On Thursday we visited Pisa, and while we were walking to the Leaning Tower we spotted this balloon abandoned in a bush. Lena and Gil played with it the whole time we were there! (Also I was editing this photo and was going to straighten it, but then I realized that everything in the photo is tilted. That’s Pisa and little kids for you!)

Gil: Our last night in Florence, the kids rode the carousel in the Piazza della Republica. The carousel itself was magnificent, and I found out later that it is the ancient carousel of the Picci family and was built in the early 20th century. But of course none of that mattered to little Gil, who was thrilled to be up there with his Auntie Ema, twirling around and around!

——–

Unfortunately, one bad thing happened in Florence: my iPhone was stolen. Ugh! We were enjoying the view from the Piazzale Michelangelo, and I stupidly set my camera bag down to take some photos. My iPhone was in my camera bag. When I realized my mistake, the bag was gone.

The thing that devastated me the most about losing that perfectly-good, planned-to-have-it-for-years phone, though, was the photos and videos that I lost with it. I take several photos (or dozens) a day on my phone, and I don’t keep up with downloading them onto my computer. Honestly, I hadn’t downloaded them for months. I sobbed afterwards to Elliott that I felt like I’d lost a part of Lena and Gil’s childhoods. I’m thankful that I’ve saved the best through Instagram and my blog and emails to family, but there are so many I’ll never get back.

Anyway, the phone is gone. I started to think I might prefer to just live with a flip phone for awhile — so much less distracting for me and my kids! But because we have a contract and are paying for data, it makes financial sense to get another smartphone. I’m hoping, though, that until my new one arrives, this break from an iPhone will make me more aware of my phone-checking habits and help me be more present with my children. It’s already been eye-opening for me. Maybe I’ll blog about it!

Do you have a smartphone? Do you wish you didn’t?