Mulberry Street

Some of my favorite subjects belong to my dear friends.  These kids crack me up and I love snapping photos of their personalities. 

I like going on tractor rides with this little guy.  He makes me forget about the prickly straw and hard boards we're sitting on, and almost makes me forget all the bumps along the trail too.  Almost. YouTube Video Oct 2012

When Melissa showed me her letterpress, several months back, I knew I wanted to come back with my camera.  Melissa has turned her garage into a letterpress workshop with several vintage work pieces, thousands of type, and ambition.  I love to witness people build something they love into something bigger.  Melissa has done this with her letterpress, as well as her children.  Everywhere I turned, I found something unique and full of character.  I am so lucky that Melissa shared her workshop with me and my camera, but even luckier that she shared so much wisdom with me while chatted about this and that.  In the future, I hope to buy custom made cards from this letterpress workshop, because well, they are awesome. And because Melissa is genuine.  Thank you Melissa!              

Eric: "Here comes the cornel. Do doo do." Emory: "No it isn't." Eric: "Oh really!" Emory: "Yeah. He swimming." Pretend play doesn't have to make sense when your two.

I'm on my motherhood kick...again, but this time I have things to share. I have said it before and I know I'll say it again and again and again.  I am so blessed to have wonderful women in my life to confide in, to share with, and to learn from.  Most recently, I received an email from my dear friend Alison with a link to this Talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God" , which I barely remember from 2008 (probably because I was so new to this mothering thing), but re-read on a day when I needed to hear and feel the spirit tell me what I needed to hear and feel.  The things that stood out to me most are: "I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent’s life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth...

I'm onto something here... I think I am allergic to Ragweed.  Twice in two weeks, I have suffered allergy attacks - at least this is my guess for now - where I couldn't stop sneezing all day and my eyes were itchy and my sinuses became super congested and I sounded like I had a severe cold.  Only an allergy pill/decongestant did the trick, but I still suffered for a few days with minor symptoms.  I found that ragweed was the offending pollen in the air on those two days, so I did a little research and found the following: "Each plant is reputed to be able to produce about a billion grains of pollen over a season, [ 2 ] [ 3 ] and the plant is anemophilous (wind- pollinated ). It is highly allergenic, generally considered the greatest allergen of all pollens, and the prime cause of hay fever in North America. Common Ragweed ( A. artemisiifolia ) and Western Ragweed A. psilostachya are considered the most noxious to those prone to hay fever. Ragweeds bloom in th...

We have quite a variety of mushrooms growing in the neighborhood. I'm totally paranoid that they are poisonous so we don't touch them, just admire them from a distance and imagine how fairies jump on them like trampolines...

We practiced our smiles this morning, since it is picture day at school.  I try to pull back her hair every day.  I don't want it to distract her from learning, nor do I want her to bring home any unwanted critters.  Today, however, we straightened her hair and left it down.  She is a beautiful girl, if I may say so.  Emory got his second hair cut in just one week.  It is much shorter than I intended and doesn't look good, but it looks better...believe me.  He even took his thumb out for the photo - he's a good sport, that boy.  Both kiddos looks so much older in these photos.  Stop time.  Stop! Blast!  I messed up the lighting and focus on this last one, but it is the best shot of the two kids together, so I added some filters to it...in an attempt to hide my mistakes.  Thanks photoshop.

It's official. Since turning two, Emory has entered the terrible two's. Though, it isn't as bad as you might think. Emory communicates much better now and because of that, we can disarm him and get through dicey situations better than before.  He has begun asking the incessant questions - why?  Emory has also began asserting his will and, expressing with great enthusiasm, his displeasure at having to do certain things.  Eric and I often remark how very different Emory is from his sister, and since we have no idea what decisions to make for him, we hope they are the right ones. Emory loves Genevieve and wants to do and say and be everything that she does, says or pretends to be.  Only, now he wants to interact with her on his own terms.  Six months ago, he would let Genevieve dress him up and he would do anything she told him to.  Today, Emory has an opinion and doesn't give up his favorite toys to big sister, quite so easily.  These interactions are...

My baby girl is growing up, and while I am present for all of it, somehow I feel like I am missing it.  Eric and I have often talked about how parents are "hard" on their first born.  It is easy to see that in others, but not in ourselves.  We want Genevieve to be a good person and an example to those around her and therefore, have big expectations for our little girl.  We hope we make the right decisions for her and can have a relationship of love and trust with her. Kindergarten began and off she went.  Genevieve has adjusted well, considering the fact that she is gone for seven and a half hours each day.  It goes without saying that she is tired, and try as I might to get her off to bed early, she resists and somehow stays up past bedtime.  When I tuck her in at night she often asks if I can sleep with her or shares how she wishes she could buy a great big bed that we could all sleep in, together.  I know that she won't always...

Motherhood has been on my mind a lot these days.   I have not been thinking about the day to day stuff, no, I have been thinking about the big picture stuff, like "Oh crap, I am totally screwing my kids up."    I feel like I am missing something, a big something, and as a result my kids and I are all suffering.    Every woman I have encountered for the last week, I have complained to, shared with, and asked advice from, on the broad subject of motherhood.   During one such discussion, my friend, Catherine said she thought the biggest job we have as mothers, is to grow the thickest skin possible because, the insults are only going to get worse.   I think she’s onto something there.   When I think about growing thick skin, I think I need it to prevent me from taking things so personally.    You know, like when I make a fabulous healthy meal complete with sides and the kids whine and complain for forty minutes, choke down two bites, and...