Leaving on a Jet Plane...

And headed to St. John. For five days. With my husband. Without my daughter. Without my dog. Sigh. Yay, but sigh...but, Yay!

In our absence, this will be the scene you can be imagining taking place at our house. Or various similar scenes. Grandma and Grandpa will be on patrol! Wish them luck!

Wish us luck with the separation. Nothing a little cocktail and beach time can't help, right? Right!

Talk to you soon!

Time keeps on slipping...

Wow. A week gone? Again? Sometimes I just can't keep up. My excuse this week? Well...my birthday, outings every day, St. Patrick's Day, and about the nicest weather that has ever graced this holy earth (or so it seems after another seemingly endless winter)! So, in a very tiny nutshell, here is how the week went:

• Monday:  Kid Junction then out to lunch with friends 
• Tuesday:  St. Patrick's Day party for the kiddos then dinner out with the hubby to celebrate "my day"
• Wednesday:  Stroller Strides class, then trying on sunglasses at JC Penny, then errands
• Thursday:  play date and lunch at a little friend's house
• Friday:  free preview of a music class followed by playing and lunch at the park...then playing in the yard with daddy and Batman

The rest can be seen here in pictures.  Don't they tell a better story anyway?

Discoveries, Indulgences, and Life

The title of this post could be describing any day around here, really. I like that. I like that a lot. Non-descript happiness in a bucket. Daily living at its simplest, yet finest. Just doing, being, seeing, living, and loving.

It is Friday. It is my husband's birthday. I like that, too. What isn't to like about a birthday? The celebration of the creation of a splendid life in the making. They should all be happy, shouldn't they?





We have a budding photographer in our house. Finnley can search out the camera (if she is lucky), turn it on, and start snapping millions of pictures. A close up of the bushy hair on the dog's back. The computer armoire. Her own brilliant hand close up. Tile on the floor. A little pink fleece coat. Mommy. It brought great joy to her to see the pictures, her very own still image creations, pop up on the miniature screen.





Sometimes pants can be a burden. Diapers, too. Fresh air against the skin...well, there is nothing quite like it. So says our tiny roommate. I am not sure who appreciated that moment the most...Finnley or me. Watching it unfold almost had to be better. Sweet silliness.





Finnley discovered new tastes today. She indulged in a few drips of decaf caramel latte' foam and some salsa limon tortilla chips. She sucked every last drip of foam out of the bottom of that recycled paper cup and continued to soak in the flavor by licking her lips. The salsa chips? I thought for sure that it would be a fleeting experiment in spicy endeavors, but nope. That girl loved every last punchy bite. She also figured out how to partially chew a chip and then stick out her tongue to show her mommy how "cool" mushy bits on the palate can be. A girl after her own mommy's heart (minus the "see food" display).











Moments when "happy" just can't be contained.
A good week in the life. A good week. Indeed.

In Theory

Finnley is pretty good at taking directions and running with them. That is not to say that she always gets things right. She generally gets the idea. She gets it all pretty well in theory. We still need to work on mechanics, though. All in good time. For now, I like how she tries. Her "trying" is about the cutest thing I have ever seen. Her "trying" makes my days happier than most people ever experience.

In Bloom

Even though Spring hasn't officially wrapped the East in rich greens and dense buds, it is already in bloom INSIDE at the conservatories of Longwood Gardens. We were lucky enough to spend the better part of the day yesterday walking some of the expansive grounds, playing in an adult-sized treehouse, smelling the fragrant and brilliantly colored flowers, and most importantly...splashing in the numerous and diversely creative fountains. Finnley is a water-girl. There is no doubt about it. The fountains to her were impossible to resist, just like a huge rock of crack being swung in front of Charlie Sheen (although not "now" because he is sober and doing very well, I hear). I love her all the more for being so quick to smile, laugh, and light up at the sight of a fountain, pond, puddle, or pool. She doesn't stop there, though...she gets fully entrenched in the whole aquatic experience...her dripping wet clothing acting as fine evidence for that. I cannot wait until we are able to spend even more time outside as the weather invites us to wander without hesitation. At least for now we have alternatives. Wonderful, wonderful alternatives. Just see for yourself...

All Dressed Up

The first few months of the year are generally busy for us in regards to the black tie circuit.  The special events allow us the chance to pretty ourselves up and partake in a night out on the town.  Last night was a strange occurrence, though.  We had not just one, but TWO, black tie events to attend in the same evening.  Luckily the parties had different start times so we were able to easily attend both.  Crazy?  Yes.  Fun?  Youbetterbelieveit!

First up was the Philadelphia International Flower Show.  This year's theme was Springtime in Paris.  It did not disappoint.  Not even a little bit.  Second on our dance card was The Red Ball, a soiree held to benefit the American Red Cross.  A great venue and an even better party.

Today it was back to reality, but last night was a chance to be our rock star alter egos.  We sucked up every minute of it without hesitation.  I wouldn't want to be a rock star every night, but every once in awhile is not such a bad gig.