hold up

or so i thought.
right?
i saw this little
staged scene
on the edge of the kids tub
and laughed out loud.
captain bogg isn't as tough as he thinks he is, eh?
but then ava caught me uploading the photo to my laptop
and said,
"oh, do you like that? i did that last night.
i was making a movie..that guy is filming the pirate..."
boo.
what a let down.
that's not nearly as exciting as what i thought it was.

word

oh, believe me,
i know it's almost february
and i am just now posting my word.
but that just shows you how chaotic
this new life of mine is
and how appropriate
my choice of word really is.

i am in a constant state of awe
at women who have
three or more children
and homeschool
with a baby
as well as decorate
and keep their houses clean
and their children fed
and in clean clothes.

on a regular,daily basis
i find myself forgetting to
breathe
deeply.

i just go and go and go and go
and then eat
and go and go and go and go
and then sleep.

and wake up and do it all again.

and so my focus this new year
is on breathing.

stopping
each
day
and
breathing
deeply.

and hopefully in time
i will move beyond just surviving
to developing the capacity to
manage this new life
with the kind of efficiency
that will bring me peace
and satisfaction.

but breathing comes first.

so good

ava made this sign,
put a cup behind it,
sat in a chair
and started to play her harmonica.
i love it.

today

it's been seven years
since this little one entered our lives


{ava at 9 months old.}

soon it will be 8..
then 9..
and i am getting a little weepy.
i didn't know my heart
could ache
with joy
and sadness
at the same time.
i guess motherhood does that to you.

thank you

thank you peanuts
for giving the world peanut butter.
without you,
i couldn't enjoy your creamy goodness.
that creamy goodness of delight
that makes every day just a little bit better.
especially when i pair you with chocolate chips.

love,
aubrey

jewelry

so, ava's afraid of the tooth fairy.
she has not once put a tooth under her pillow.

basically it boils down to this:

she doesn't want some strange person,
fairy or not,
coming into her room at night
while she's sleeping
and digging around under her pillow.
even if she leaves her money.

poor kid.
i can see her point.
but come on.
it's MONEY.
for icky, little teeth.

so, instead of putting her teeth under her pillow,
she brings me a tooth she has yanked out.
{ya..she pulls them out.}
calmly hands it to me
and i drop it into the mesh drawstring bag
that is now The Tooth Bag.

five in all thus far.

what am i suposed to do with her teeth
once they've all fallen out?

so, check this out.
i have found a solution.



sick?
or hip and cool?

i think one tooth
on a chain might be cool.
like your very first tooth.
but still a little bit disturbing.

after 10 years..

i still
miss you when you're gone.

i still
have the most fun with only you.

i still
love holding your hand.

i still
know you'll listen when i talk.

i still
get giddy when you kiss me.

and
i always
give thanks
each day
for the joy
i feel
in being your bride.

best

now,
i've had some pretty sucky new year's eves.
for example,

last year
i had the flu.

two years ago
we paused our boardgame and said happy new year.

three years ago we watched tv.

five years ago we co-threw a party
and it BOMBED.
i mean, embarrassing. bomb. of a party.
luckily, my party throwing skills have improved.

so this year, at the last minute
we decided to throw a party together.
we're a good team.

pictured below: two crazy hosts


we moved furniture,
we strung lights,
we hung a disco ball,
we cranked music,
we threw confetti,
we burned stuff at midnight,
and had the BEST new year's eve.
of all time.

pictured below: aftermath of partying


next year's will be even better.
expect an invitation.