four things

ONE//  starbucks patrons! it's frappuccino happy hour every day from 3-5pm until may 10th! that means it's half price for the caffinated slushies we all love! i've been been CRUSHING the frappy hour this week. c-r-u-s-h-i-n-g it. somebody, cut me off.

TWO// also this week: andy officially completed his first year of grad school. one down, one-point-five to go. how he manages working full time and going to school at night while still coming home with enough energy for bath time shenanigans, amazes me. he works hard every day for our little family and i'm so proud of him.

THREE// we're in the azalea chapter of spring and oooo, it's getting good! the crocuses were bold and popped up before any of the other flowers but, daffodils have the "first-sign-of-sping" reputaion and they did not like being out done. then, the pink magnolias and cherry blossoms were like, step back ladies, we got this and stole the show for a while, but now the azaleas are out in full force and they're making a strong case for prettiest bloom.

FOUR// this weekend, i get to celebrate my first mother's day as mother and so - if we're taking requests - i really just want to spend the day with the two people who made me a mama.

have a great weekend everybody! and show your mother some love because, believe me, she's got nothing but it for you.

four things

ONE// there is something you should know about duck. duck does not like feeling left out. whenever andy + i get smoochy, duck sits at our feet, paws at us, and gives this look that says but what about me guys? i've got feelings too, you know. similarly, when we let her outside, she quickly does her business and jumps on the back door to let us know she's ready to come back in. last sunday i made the rookie mistake of leaving her outside well beyond her comfort level for solitude. in protest, she took off for four hours, roaming the nearby neighborhoods and plodding through creeks. when she was finally returned home she was unapologetically caked in mud. message received loud and clear, duck.

TWO// for his birthday, i took andy to see his favorite folk duo, gillian welch + dave rawlings, perform in concert. whatever you think you know about folk music, get it out of your head. they rocked. it. out. i've never seen anyone make keeping time with hand claping and clogging steps look so cool as gillian welch did. throughout the entire show, i held on to hope for her cover of radiohead's black star {which, is my nightly lullaby to august} but it never happened. they more than made up for it with two - count 'em: TWO - encores. it was by far the best show either of us had ever seen.

THREE// despite their relatively equal weight and size, ada is actually nine months older than august. up to this point, i think she'd been confused by her peer. she'd poke and prod him, but rarely got more than a distressed cry out of him. now that he can sit upright, crawl, and stand on his own, they're finally able to interact. he's constantly trying to take things from her hand to which she responds by gripping hard and scolding him with "nooooooooooo". all things considered though, they love each other.

FOUR// i'm not much of a baker, so it was up to whole foods for andy's birthday cake. and because no one should eat cake alone, i got an oreo flavored treat for myself - one of the many reasons i love celebrating birthdays.

four things

ONE// the camera wasn't out much this week so instead, i offer this single photo. which, is entirely unrelated to anything other than it's a stinkin cute picture of my son who now claps at anything, dispelling most traditional interpretations of clapping.

TWO// marathon monday did not dissappoint: rita jeptoo wins her third boston marathon in a new course record, meb runs an inspiring race to become the first american male champion since 1983, and 36,000 other runners showed what it means to be "boston strong". this year's race represented everything good about sports. it was all goosebumps and teary eyes in my corner of the office monday morning. YOU GOTTA LOVE SPORTS!

THREE// in the text versus voice debate, i'm pro text. it's short and sweet and there's time for thoughtful composition. talking moves too fast for me and i'm just not quick with words {give me a keyboard and some quiet time any day over real time chatting}. sometimes, i forget about my communicative handicap like i did this week, when i called a friend to share some exciting plans before they were finalized; yeay! we're coming to visit! so... where can we (me, my husband, and our six a.m. alram clock, aka baby) crash?
friend - you know who you are - thanks for being better on the phone than me and not letting on to the awkwardness.

FOUR// the aforementioned sneaky plan i've been cooking up for my husband who celebrates his birthday next week. muahahahaha.

four things

ONE// how to throw together an impromptu picnic: spot an empty park; use baby's swaddle as blanket; buy a baguette, perfectly ripe avocado to spread on it, sparkling water, and fresh fruit from the local market; and enjoy! {leaves, sticks, and acorn hats are also appetizing picnic fair}

TWO// the other day, i came home to a spring bouquet, picked and arranged by august (with help for his dada). my men get styling points #vasesareoverrated

THREE// that house! with it's red shutters, bay windows, picket fence, and that tree! there's a brick sidewalk laid out in front of it, which the weather has raised in spots. it's like the owners have been working on this elaborate prank. i run past that house almost daily and have nearly bit it more than a few times. i bet they hang out at the window waiting for someone to face plant right on their weathered sidewalk, it's springtime and a magnificent tree is blooming in front of our charming house, SUCKAS!

FOUR// at our house, you play with your food, eat with your hands, and feet are allowed on the table. what kind of child am i raising?!

have an awesome weekend, friends!

four things

ONE// sometimes, living so far away from grandma and grandpa isn't so bad thanks to facetime. whenever august hears that ringtone, he gets all excited and searches for the ipad. apparently, so do his grandparents. i imagine each of them rushing to their tablets - grandpa racing grandma to theirs, while augusts puts his crawl into high-gear towards ours. i love how they get to see each other a couple times a week thanks to the innovators at apple.

TWO// when we lived together, claudin and i used to get comments all the time about being twins. now that we live in different states, it sort of surprises us when we get together and everyone around us is gushing about the fact. take last weekend for example, when we were running side-by-side in the cherry blossom race and i heard countless spectators gasp, "look! they're twins!" sometimes it feels like we're part of a carnival side show, or something.  hey! a fun house mirror! WHAT A COINKIDINK

THREE// while doing a little spring cleaning, i found this black sequin tank that's been hibernating way too long at the bottom of the storage box {no thanks to all those frigid vortexes, hmph!} it was looking up at me with big diluted pupils, pleading in a hoarse whisper, "wear meeeee!" so i paired it with a cardigan and flats pants and called it "business casual" (who says sequins are just for nighttime or parties?) so i get to the office and this guy compliments me on the top. nice, right? well, instead of just thanking him and cutting off any awkward before it can happen, i modestly tell him that my son likes it too (because of the sparkles, duh!). he laughs and goes "yeah! but he's looking at your shirt for other reasons." to be fair, i kind of set the guy up for failure.

FOUR// so i've actually only got three things this week. but guys, you know what would be so super-cool-awesome? if you all shared some of your random happenings from the week. to fill in the gap. you know? c'monnnn! don't be shy... 

four things

ONE// a friend from work had an oversupply of girl scout cookies from her daughter's troop, so i offered to take some off her hands (my generosity abounds). i ordered six boxes: two each of samoas, tagalongs, and thin mints, naturally. one box didn't even make it home from work the first day and  i got this text the next day, "rookie mistake leaving those girl scout cookies within my reach, lulee". anyone want to put money on how long the remaining four boxes last?
p.s. august

TWO// august has been recently going through this phase where he only wants mama or dada - he's been a bit skeptical of anyone he doesn't see on a daily basis. we've spent the last four weekends with my mother though and now she's in his circle of trust too. she's like a human baby activity center, my mom. she sings, she dances, she makes funny noises (saying "woops" is hilarious, apparently). he gets all excited and starts bouncing in my arms now whenever he sees her!

THREE// visits with my twin sister are never complete without at least one stop at our favorite independent coffee shop. we order fancy espresso drinks, double them up with extra caffeine, and take pictures of every cup we drink - hashtag latteart! - i can't help it, really. coffee is so photogenic.

FOUR// we usually wake up to august squawking in the room next door. this week, he's evolved from chicken to duck and now he quacks in his crib until one of us goes to get him. trying not to jinx it or anything, but it's been two mornings in a row now and he's slept until 7am. we've been especially loving parents these past few days.

four things

ONE//  for months, bandit the raccoon sat in the corner of august's crib without so much as a sideways glance from the boy. it wasn't until recently that august really noticed his pal, which he re-named ge-ge (i dunno? g sounds came sooner than the b's.) the other night when andy held him up and asked august "who's this", august looked at the raccoon in his father's hands and said "hiiiiii gheee-ghee" BUT WAIT! it gets better. i impulsively grabbed the animal, gave him a kiss, and asked august if he would to give ge-ge a kiss. right on cue, he lurched at ge-ge with his mouth open and gave him a big ol' bite/kiss. my heart jumped out of my chest and melted into a puddle right there on the floor.

TWO// andy and i exchanged these short emails with each other on tuesday:

andy: august wants to go straight home, put on his wolfpack shirt, and get ready for tonight’s game with ge-ge and some nachos.

me: wolfpack, ge-ge, nachos. heard.

so when we got home we put on the shirt, we ate nachos, and august sat on the floor with half of ge-ge's arm in his mouth. it was like a proper tailgate - we sang fight songs and marched around the living room, clapping our hands. but the game was on way past august's (and my) bedtime so andy gave us the recap and final score the next morning. fair-weather fans, i know.

THREE// have you ever been on the campus of a high school right before classes start? there's usually a parade of cars out front, with parents dropping off kids. then there are the kids who live within walking distance... so i was out on the local track early yesterday morning and there was a dense fog hanging over the playing fields. then i noticed these dark figures emerge in the distance - dozen's of 'em - they came from all directions, moving slowly toward the school building. the chain-link fences, the fog, the creepy shadow figures... it was like scene from the walking dead.

FOUR// this one time when my sister and i were waiting for a bus, a friendly stranger struck up conversation with us. we listened politely to his stories and smiled. {we have big smiles, my sister and i.} our companion pointed this fact out. then, he went on about it, saying we looked like "whovillians". he said that. he said, "you've got big teeth, like whovillians." and then our smiles got smaller (self-consciously small). years passed and then i went for my semi-annual dental checkup (yesterday). as the dental assistant cleaned my teeth she remarked that my teeth are "a nice size; evenly proportioned." hear that bus-stop stranger? there are more tactful ways to talk about a person's features.

four things

ONE// there comes a point in time in every relationship when your idiosyncrasies become endearing to each other. there also comes a point in every relationship when even the cutest nuances lose their charm. say, for example, your stomach makes a silly little gurgling sound while you're lying bed next to each other. it might get a collective chuckle and then he'll ask/tease if you're ok and you'll demurely laugh it off with a "yeah, my stomach must just being loud digesting".  but when your stomach decides to go on a exaggerated rant, groaning like it's going for some kind of record, it's not so cute and funny anymore. and you both sit in awkward silence wondering WHAT exactly it is digesting.

TWO// i hate to harp on the weather but, sixty degrees on tuesday! which meant sleeping in and taking a run after work with my son in the jogger. he's been out with me once before - back in october when the warm air was kinder to little baby faces - but once that north wind blew, we packed her up and dreamt of springtime jaunts. i've been a little nervous about running with my son because he's older now - he's mobile. and you know babies once they're mobile; THEY want to do the moving for themselves. being strapped is almost a form of torture. but the running gods were on our side tuesday and he rode quietly along, kicking his feet, and occasionally letting out a thrilled eeeeeeeeeeee on the downhills.

THREE// breakfast for dinner is awesome when you crack your egg into the frying pan and two yolks DON'T come out of the same egg. i stood at those stove horrified and at a serious crossroads: how do i - being a twin - eat this these eggs. i, of course, ate the egg(s) because i was taught never to let things go to waste, but i've been wondering... it's all got to mean something, right?

FOUR// gag, if you must, but that picture down there - the one with the two very handsome men greeting each other after work yesterday? i mean. THAT is why the camera is slowly becoming an extension of my hand.

enjoy your weekend and happy friday!