Archive | 52 project

portraits of my children {9/52}

March 3, 2014 at 4:00 pm

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

Lena: My mom is visiting for two weeks and we are so blessed to have her here. (I feel like saying “lucky” or “thrilled” or “relieved” doesn’t quite encapsulate how wonderful it is to have her in our home every day for this long!!!) She has been a quiet, steady presence since the moment she got here, helping me in every way that she can imagine, playing with the kids from sun up to sun down, and being the friend and confidant I love so much. This past week the kids and I took her back to beautiful Taormina, one of my favorite places in Sicily. Lena — who is her Grammie’s shadow — asked for a piggyback ride towards the end of the day, and they looked so happy walking through the picturesque streets!

Gil: I took this picture while we were in Taormina, too, in an attempt to capture some of those curls that we all love. We have recently ordered detangling spray and special shampoo in order to get control of this wildness, since we still can’t bear to cut it. I always wanted a baby with blond ringlets, and I think I got my wish!

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Also, I’m writing this while sipping a hazelnut latte in the library… by myself. Bliss! My military ID expired (whoopsies), so my mom sent me to base to get it renewed and told me to stay awhile and relax. Ahhh… I feel so refreshed!

Did you get any alone time this weekend? I think I need more of it! Preferably with coffee in hand.

12 :: in 52 project

8/52

February 24, 2014 at 3:50 pm

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

Lena: After a walk to the playground last week, we stopped in the fish market across the street to buy something for dinner. This time I chose sardines, which I’ve never cooked before. As the fishmonger gutted and beheaded them for me, Lena asked to sit up on the counter to watch him. She’s holding a sardine in her hand! This photo captures so much of our everyday life in Sicily for me right now, fresh fish, countertop observation, and curious children included.

Gil: Last week Gil practiced walking in the gigantic Piazza del Duomo towards St. Agatha’s Cathedral. (Video of this moment is on Instagram too!) I love that he’s taking his first steps in the cultural grandeur of a European piazza! Where else will he walk in his life? I pray for his steps, his vocation, his friends, and his faith every day.

0 :: in 52 project

7/52 and learning to be a thankful stay-at-home mom

February 19, 2014 at 4:06 pm

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

Lena: We’ve enjoyed so many beautiful fires in our hobbity fireplace this winter! Lena is usually the one who asks Elliott to build a fire in the evenings, and then they sit in front of it and read stories before he puts her to bed. The fact that she loves all of these things — a cozy fire, reading books with her daddy, comfort in such simple and beautiful traditions — gives her parents so much joy.

Gil: His sleeping habits have improved a lot over the past few months, but he still wakes up once between 4-6am to nurse, and sometimes I don’t know if he’ll go back to sleep if he nurses at 6am. This particular morning last week, he didn’t. We welcomed the sunrise on the balcony as I sipped my coffee and he unloaded all the clothespins from the basket.

(Side note: Gil also took his first steps last Thursday! We were Skyping with Elliott’s family, and I was trying to keep Gil amused and quiet. I spontaneously stood him up and then beckoned him, and he took a couple faltering steps towards me… and did it over and over! He’s also saying four words now: Mama, Dada, uh-oh, and hi. And his “bye-bye” wave melts my heart every time!)

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As I wrote to a friend this week, I’ve been convicted these past few days about my sense of entitlement. I feel entitled to pretty much whatever I want — to travel, to complain, to sleep in, to get me-time, to spend money as I please, to expect Elliott to care for the kids the moment he walks through the door, and so on and so forth.

When I don’t get what I feel entitled to receive, I complain. I whine. I moan and groan about my life, how hard it is, how no one understands. I read mommy blogs and opinion pieces that all affirm my emotions. As I’m sure everyone has noticed, this is a really popular topic right now. My father-in-law sent us an article which does a brilliant job of explaining why young Americans in particular feel this way.

And then I read this amazing blog post which kind of felt like a bucket of cold water to my face. I SIGNED UP FOR THIS. I knew what I was getting into… or at least I had a very good idea. I decided to have kids. I decided to be a stay-at-home mom. So why am I acting like so many things are such a shock, or such a burden, or such an insult? Babies have poopy diapers, so why do I groan when I have to change another one? Children are messy, so why am I complaining about vacuuming? Kids are slow, so why am I always (always) late instead of just learning to get ready earlier? And why am I so quick to blame everyone but myself?

I told Elliott last night that right now there is no other job I want to do more than this one. Not a single job anywhere in the whole world. I want this, I chose this, I signed up for this. Not only that, but I consider myself richly blessed to be able to stay home with our young children, to write and photograph and record these early years, to be an amateur chef and preschool teacher and best friend, to create a peaceful and beautiful place to call home. I thank Elliott often (and need to thank him more) that he is the sole breadwinner for our family right now.

I’ve asked Elliott to hold me accountable to an attitude of thankfulness. It won’t be easy, but I do want this attitude of entitlement to die. I am grateful, I am so thankful, that this is my lot in life right now. So here’s to being a cheerful worker, and therefore a cheerful stay-at-home mom!

18 :: in 52 project, Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom Series, motherhood, thoughts

6/52 (and a walk around our Italian town)

February 10, 2014 at 3:34 pm

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

Lena: She’s such an acrobat these days! Her light, strong little body is figuring out how to do so many amazing things… which is part terrifying and part amazing. The phrase I hear most frequently is: “Yook, Mama, yook what I can do!” (Also, “What time is it? What does that mean?” and “Can we make something yummy in the kitchen?”)

Gil: I finished his sweater yesterday just in time for him to wear it to church! I’m so proud of it. Be warned: you might be seeing a lot of it between now and warm weather.

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I had kind of a frazzled morning. (Snacks! Coloring! Screaming! Nap time! Reading! Clean up! Tears! Laundry! Repeat!) When we finally decided to go on a walk and headed down the hill, I felt like a fresh breeze blew through me. I felt light and strong as I munched an apple and let the weight of the stroller carry itself down the hill under my hand. Crisp air filled my lungs, and suddenly everything seemed sharper and brighter as my mind took in the sights and sounds: the bustling piazza, the old men walking in and out of the municipal buildings, the farm trucks filled with produce harvested that morning, the glittering beauty of Mt Etna rising in the distance.

“We live in Italy,” I realized with a jolt. “Live here. Not just visiting.”

And so I started taking pictures as we bought produce, snacked on bread sticks and pizza from our favorite panificio, and played on the playground. Later we added artichokes, balsamic, basil, sausages, arancini, and wine to the stroller basket. We shall eat well tonight in celebration of living in Italy!

My stroller is as big as a Fiat!

Prettiest house (and potted plants) on the street.

A view of the castle outside our house as we round the corner for home.

And home sweet home. Oh Italy, we love you!

14 :: in 52 project, Italy, Sicily

5/52

February 3, 2014 at 3:20 pm

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

Happy Monday, friends! I was pleasantly surprised this morning to learn that Elliott didn’t have to go into work until 1pm. Why? Because the Superbowl (which we did not even watch) lasted from 12am-4am here in Sicily, and so every year many commands give everyone Monday morning off to sleep in. How sweet is life in the military in Europe? Sometimes pretty sweet.

Anyway, that made for a much better Monday morning that usual for all of us! Later, after Elliott left, I put the kids in the stroller and went to the playground in our town. Along the way we passed an abandoned lot filled with brilliant yellow flowers. They’re in bloom everywhere these days, and I love the shocking contrast of neon with the verdant greens, ripe oranges, and hazy blues of winter.

At the playground, Gil went down the slide head first, his signature move these days. I caught some hilarious moments on film, but this one was my favorite: the wild curls, the splayed fingers, the thrilled smile, the tenuous moment between anticipation and speed.

How was your weekend? Since our anniversary was last week, Elliott and I went out on Friday night. My sweet friend came to babysit for us (thank you, Shannon!), and we had the best time. I made reservations here, and our eyes were literally bigger than our stomachs so — maybe for the first time in my life — we actually had more sushi than we wanted to eat. Afterwards we walked to the Opera House and listened to this ridiculously amazing 24-year-old violinist play with the Catania symphony! The music was amazing, and Elliott and I both felt like we were in another world. Ten points for that date!

And now it’s nap time. I just want to sit here on the couch forever, but I need to make dinner for my little crew to eat before I teach my knitting class/course tonight. What are you having for dinner? Any yummy one-pot recipes to pass along?