artistic temperaments

each saturday, if his work schedule cooperates, chip spends the mornings with just the girls. they go the park, or the playground or the botanic gardens, or sometimes they just hang out in the apartment. but no matter where they go, there are always markers, crayons and paper in tow, because no activity is truly complete without some drawing. it usually begins with chip doing the majority of the work (make a princess! a t-rex! mommy and a rhino on a trampoline!) but soon the girls take over as the artists.

i adore their art, but what i find most interesting and endearing is the consistency in approach the two girls take, regardless of age or artistic phase.

ruth keeps her work free and spontaneous. she never plans or thinks too much about what she draws, just does it. when she is finished she throws the crayons down (or across the room) shouts "i all done!" and walks away.

eve takes her time; drawing slowly and carefully. she tortures herself trying to get just the right color, make just the right line. finally, when she is ready, her art is taken to the door. other pictures are shuffled, magnets are chosen and the piece is gently placed. as she backs away she holds her marker at the ready, just in case.

i love how who they are is so evident in everything they do. . . and really, is there anything better than kid's art?

countdown

one full month is a ridiculously long time for us to go without chipper. we're all dying for him to join us on friday so we can live it up in glorious oregon for one final week before heading back to brooklyn. three more days for us to miss our favorite things about the man.

eve's favorites: stories at nigh-night time (usually sung to some crazy twangy/old-timey tune), showing him her "most beautiful drawings" and talking about scary monsters who don't get us.

ruth's: having food with daddy cause daddy makes yummy food (a perfect response from ruth- no basis in reality and food centered).

charlie's: who knows. but i'm certain he and chip will have fun smiling at each other. 

and the things i've missed? i've missed everything. i've missed laughing with him and watching the girls go nuts with him around. i've missed watching him feverishly sketch out his latest scheme for our apartment. i've missed his stories. i've missed the pacing and the lounging and the face he makes when he looks in the mirror. i've missed the thousands of everyday mundane things that make up partnership and family life. i can't wait for friday to come, it's going to be good to have chip around again.

i may check in within the next two weeks, but most likely not. we've got a lot of time to make up for and i don't want to be doing it in front of this screen. hope you all enjoy these last days of summer!

mish-mash of lately

happy may day!

it is official, spring is here and summer is right around the corner. i know because last week i got the very beginnings of what is, three years running, my summer trademark: massive saltwater sandal tan. feels good. i also have the beginnings of a nice farmer's tan which doesn't feel so good but until i start remembering my sunblock is also kind of inevitable. does anyone else have arms that tan at a rate five times faster than the rest of their body?. . . but, i can't complain when i am able to spend hours of my day sitting on a playground bench surrounded by great friends watching the kids run and play. new york in spring is amazing. if you've never been, come at this time. everyone and everything is emerging from their winter gloom and reveling in the glory of renewal.

and, i'm 29. (i know. only 29 and almost three kids- yikes.) tuesday was my birthday and with great friends all around, a brother and sister-in-law in town (who woke up to make me crepes in the morning!), and time alone with chip, it was a really great day. chip and i went to freemans on the lower east side and other than the somewhat irrational fear that one of the taxidermied animals was going to fall on me and cause serious bodily harm (i was most concerned about my eyes), the place was really great. watching the parade of hipsters walk down the alley to the restaurant was entertaining and, once, inspiring. i love the lower east side. after dinner chip and i made our way uptown in a cab, a rare treat for us- we're cheap like that, to see macbeth. such an intense and gruesome production. not going to help my creepy dreams at all. the art direction was beautifully modern and the acting was stunning. . . i always wonder whether my opinions are completely skewed because i'm just so happy to be kid-free for a night. i might consider anything a work of genius because i don't have two little girls shouting "i'm never playing with you again!" or "more didi boots! i want food! no, mean mommy!" at me every thirty seconds. but this time i'm certain it was the production and not the euphoria of being away that won me over.

here's yesterday photo of baby boy, who, it turns out, is not breech at all! good baby. i'm hopeful this is the last time we need an ultrasound with this baby. i'm tired of hospitals.

our may day will be filled with joy school for eve, some grocery shopping (or maybe napping instead?) and folding of the laundry neglected yesterday while at the hospital and then preparing for last night's book club i hosted. we read crossing to safety by wallace stegner. one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. i love his depiction of relationships in all their quiet tragedy and glory. it was so great to be in my home, kids in bed and surrounded by good people and good discussion.

++ update: my hero brother-in-law and sister-in-law who live in manhattan just swooped in and took my children for the afternoon/evening. looks like i'll be getting that nap afterall, once i waste more of my time watching the most recent episode of the hills. i already stayed up until 2am last night catching up on the bachelor. gross reality tv confessions. . .

he works hard for his money

the long rime reader of this blog may remember this post which featured a glimpse into chip's grueling work days. for your viewing pleasure, here is another:

what a champion. could a wife be any prouder?

gaining, gaining

i have a dent in my forehead. a long story involving a stubborn cyst and an overly zealous dermatologist. the other night i was was talking to chip about this pregnancy and my weight gain. as we were talking he pointed out that my dent has become more pronounced as i've grown and then said "huh! it's weird to say your forehead's getting fat, but there it is."

yes. there it is. everyone, attention please; i've got a fat forehead.

on a totally unrelated note. actually, probably a completely related note. . . i made another cake this past weekend. this time it was red velvet in honor of miriam's (chip's sister) birthday. if you're a fan of the red velvet cake then you should check out this recipe from "cake man raven" of brooklyn cake fame. although i'm still a little creeped out by how much red dye i dumped into the batter, it really was so moist and delicious, and with cream cheese frosting it's tough to go wrong.

seven

october 6, 2000

seven years later we're as happy as ever.

39:13:8

chip did it. and placed 46th (out of about 600) while he was at it. 1.5 miles in a little over 39 minutes.

the two racers, chip and scott, took off at 5am to complete registration and amp up for the race. a few hours later we (two grandparents, two wives and the cumulative 5 children) made our way to the marina to watch it unfold. fog covered most of the golden gate and the whole of alcatraz heightening the anticipation and excitement. minutes after we arrived, swimmers began splashing their way in. searching for chip's stroke among the hundreds for about 15 minutes, i found it about 50 yeards out. swimming to the beach, running through the finish, handing off his microchip-timer, and kind-of posing for a photographer, he was done. i was happy, his mom was relieved, he was warm and excited, and the girls were oblivious to it all, pretend swimming in the sand with their cousins. after waiting a couple minutes for scott to come in, we all went to a celebrate their success.

my camera died the second chip was coming out of the water. happily bob was prepared. he snapped some great shots of chip and then was patient with me while i art-directed all the shots i wanted him to get of us as we enjoyed the rest of the day at the marina and crissy fields together.

once i get those pictures i'll add them to this post.

until then, you can check this out. the "two swimmers" pictured are scott and chip on the ferry ride out to alcatraz.

this is not the last of open water swims for chip. and honestly, next time i'd like to be in the water with with him.

the bird man of alcatraz

chip is doing the alcatraz swim. not counting his record-breaking mile swim
at boy scout camp as a 14-year-old, this is his very first open water competition.

we're here in san francisco and getting pumped for saturday. the day he makes us all proud.

safe and sound

chip is home with us again today. this explosion happened right in front of his office building and the area is closed down until next week when danger is gone. the pictures of the exploding street, the street that chip crosses to get home everyday, are horrifying. i am so sorry for those injured and the one dead as a result of this. and i am also so grateful that chip was safe at home with us. it is interesting and terriying to realize how close we are to death, how that line sometimes slides just by our toes without us being the slightest bit aware.

today i am grateful it did. i really love chip. the girls really love chip. i can't begin to imagine what we would do without him.

we're off to enjoy wht might be the perfect summer day.

belated to chipper

i love you chip. i love that you can make me laugh in any situation. i love (although it really does drive me crazy) your constant paranoia that one of us is going to choke. i love that the first four thoughts i ever had about you were "his name's chip?" "he's skinny" "i like his hair" and "wow, he's so friendly." i love that on one of our first dates you got lost and we ended up just driving for over and hour, listening to music and laughing before finally finding our way. i love the memories of going to your studio and reading my psychology textbooks on the balcony while you painted. i love that you are the most honest person i have ever known, and consequently, the worst liar. i love how you become completely obsessed with ideas or projects that "could be so great." i love that you are constantly wanting to make everthing around you better. i love that you are so complete in your forgiveness. i love the way you hit your hand to your chest and hold it there when you laugh really hard. i love your strange knowledge about the classic rock genre. i love, really really love, thinking about the time you thought you broke your ankle. i love your unreasonable fear of rats and sharks. i love thinking about what a terrible apologizer you are. i love that you can sleep anywhere. i love imagining us old together. i love watching you dance with the girls. i love that you love them so much, and that they adore you in return. i love the stiff-arm stance you get whenever your are trying on a jacket or shirt. i love that you talked me into marrying you, because you were just sure it would be great. i love it that you were right.

happy birthday, chip . . . two days late.