*

The little girl who I watch throughout the week invited us to her hearing clinic's annual family fun festival a few weeks ago. It was really fun for all of us, and neat for the girls to see all the different kinds of people and kids who are deaf and have cochlear implants. I even signed a little with a dad there! [I knew it pretty well in junior high and then remember some from signing time :)]  Anyway, I won't share pictures of our friend since I don't have permission, but here's some of my girls and their amazing face paint! I've never seen such talented face painters or balloon artists!

here's the 3 of them a different day at the science museum - what a gorgeous view from the cafeteria of the Charles River, I love it!

*halloween

we had a fun halloween this year and I wasn't even stressed with making a costume. My Mom made Vera's, Edie's was from Target and Ruth wore her sleep sack with some fabric circles glued on - she really was only dressed up for these pictures, then she went to bed.  Vera and Edie just loved their costumes and were so happy!!!

So Ruth is supposed to be Olaf here. I'd like to note that one family member thought she was a pilgrim, one thought she was a scottish lass, another thought she was a domino.

Our good friends and trick or treat buddies!

Have to include this absolutely adorable picture of our little cousin out in California. Her costume takes it - so incredibly cute. Jessie was Tiger Lily and Ben was Cap'n Hook :)

*cotidiano

Blog posts are few and far between lately! I need to keep going for that big book I'm going to print out someday... hopefully :)

Anyway, I feel very fortunate that Ben still has a pretty flexible schedule and is often able to work at home so I can let Ruth keep napping while I get things done. Here he stayed home while Edie and I went to the Asian grocery store and then the bank. She was so adorable on her scooter with a little scarf around her neck - I took like ten pictures but none captured how cute she was being. She is getting really fast and was jabbering away about how she rides it like a skateboard.

Vera and I went to the mall on Sunday [another time Ben stayed with sleeping babe] and had a little mommy+me time. She was SO excited, literally didn't stop talking the whole time and kept commenting on how excited she was and how we hadn't done anything like that in a long time. I got some lip gloss at Macy's and then she got some at Justice [ugh I am hating that tacky store but she is obsessed! Trying to keep it balanced and not forbid..]

Rudy, Root, Ruthie, Rocio (said in a penninsular spanish accent by edie:) is now 9 months old! I wish I could videotape her everyday so I can watch it the rest of my life. Is that weird? I just want to eat her up - all her little moves and mannerisms. She is crawling, pulling up, cruising a little, waving bye, signing all done, water (not consistently), beginning to 'dance', eating well, sleeping ok [waking twice-ish and nursing once usually] and even tries to copy when I say "hot!". She's starting to have little opinions and let's us know with extremely loud shouts if she wants more food, wants to go out where the kids are, wants my coffee cup...

*Edie sings a hymn

Found this old video of Edie singing "Be Thou My Vision" to herself - not sure how it will show up. She was probably 2.5 - such a scrappy little girl!

[in our old apartment/dorm]

*Edenita cumple 4

Our little Edie turned 4 last week!  Ahhh my little baby, I don't want her to get any bigger  :(  She is such a hilarious, fun and adorable little girl - if a *little* difficult at times. We saw that coming as early as 9 months old when she would bite me if I tried to redirect her.

Here she is on her first day of preschool back in September! She loves it - just 2 days a week. This is her "school outfit" that she wants to wear every time.  Her teachers have serious Boston accents and once after picking her up Edie asked if I'd gotten her "picktcha" :)

She of course LOVES her baby sister, always trying to hug and kiss and hold and even lick her. Yes, she licks her on the top of her head or sucks on her fingers. That's Edie.

When she gets the "good girl" bug she can be so helpful!  Here she actually folded all the laundry out of the dryer, put it all away and then proceeded to sweep the kitchen - all her own ideas.  She was so proud of herself and so wanting to please.

She is enamoured with Vera - so excited to share things, tell her things, etc. She always wants to get Vera a sticker at the Dr.'s office or bank, share her snack, etc. It's very sweet. She can also be a major pain in the butt - I think most siblings have those moments, yes?

I found this on my phone a few weeks ago :)

*treinta y cinco

I just wanted to write down about my birthday today.  I was wishing today that I'd documented each birthday - you often think, this is the best one ever!! but it still just runs together with the rest of the years. Well this wasn't one of those best birthdays ever, but it was emblematic of my life currently. It was fairly uneventful all day - I watched my friend's little guy this morning, we walked to CVS, enjoyed some sunshine, took Vera to her (first!) violin lesson at school... I did make gnocchi with brown butter and sage (yum) and had bought a few small special cheeses at Whole Foods along with some wine.  Ruth should have been getting ready for bed, but I held her for a few minutes at the table.  She was just in a diaper and her sweet warm little body was so loveable. Vera sat us down later and they sang Happy Birthday while she twanged out some notes on her violin [she actually did improve in the hour or so she played around with it after her first lesson] - that was incredibly sweet and made me tear up a bit.  The girls drew me several cards which they were so excited for me to open. They gave me a postcard OF some handmade baskets from Bolivia [they disappeared at the market on Sunday, I thought they actually bought something hahaha]. Edie picked out this lovely card for a 90 year old but the two both had near-meltdowns because Vera was trying to sign it too... I don't really know what when on with that.  When I read it I had a hard time not crying from laughing so hard and trying to not make Edie feel badly because her card was hilarious.

Anyway, it was funny and fun and I am grateful. I had some reflection time this morning in the 20 minutes Ruth was sleeping and before Isaac came - I realized lately some major failings of mine as a mom [please don't say otherwise :)] and was totally humbled. Reflected on the words of one of my favorite hymns and it felt very real today: Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be. Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee!  What good words - I'm going to remember this 35th birthday and move forward with His grace, loving my family and my friends and neighbors like He has loved me!

*8 meses

I love this little baby girl so much, I literally can't stand it. I would describe her as someone who loves to be alive. When she wakes up in the morning she is SO incredibly happy, kicking and flapping her little arms, squealing and laughing.  She yells and growls and squeals and makes lots of ooohhhh noises at the things she sees - other babies, balloons, dogs, her sisters, Trixie [we have a new bunny, have I noted that here?], books...  It's amazing. She is now crawling (earliest of the 3!) but is still pretty easy and I'm not having to keep her out of trouble very often.  She isn't sleeping through the night - on a good night she only wakes 2x which lately is becoming more often. Now that I said that she'll wake 5x tonight.  If she keeps it up, I may have to make a plan :(  I didn't know how lucky I was with Vera!! Anyway, we all are just incredibly smitten with this little one.

Here she is in her room which is finally looking like a nursery and not a guest room/place where you put things you don't know where to put.  I think she likes it  : ) She even ooohhed at the embroidery hoops I put up which made me feel good.  Poor thing, it only took me 8 months!! Maybe I should get working on her birth announcement ....

*looking back

I've been loving looking back at our blog, seeing what Vera and Edie were like at this most-adorable stage that Rudy is at [she is officially crawling by the way!!].  Here's a couple links [I don't pretend to assume you're interested in spending your time looking back on our blog! family members, Ben, this is for you :) ]

Vera 8 mos

Edie at 7 months

This was another thread... a little older of Vera around 9 mos. So fun remembering Seattle trips, happy little Vera, Boone, Liberty Park...

*labor day weekend

We ended the summer with a visit from Ben's parents, sister and sweet baby niece.  Such a wonderful, fun time having them in our home.  Like our weekend with Matty, it was amazing how much we fit into a short time: bowling in Somerville again, Arboretum, wandering Boston, trip to Maine, walks, meals, [lots of] ice cream, watching babies play...

Afternoon in the Public Garden before dinner near the wharf:

Bad picture but a nice little moment to remember - feeding our babies together on the grass on this beautiful day.  I love my sister-in-law :)

Hanging out on the lawn in the Arboretum: 

Ruth and Zuzu are about two months apart - so glad they have each other!!  Both were so excited to see their baby friend when they woke up each morning :)

on the beach in Kennebunkport, Maine:

Just before a big thunderstorm hit in York, Maine.  Thankfully we were here on Tuesday after Labor Day and there were no crowds at all. I could see why it's labeled "honkey tonk" in any travel articles :) 

So grateful for all the time we've had with family this summer!!

*tres momentitos

Three moments from the last week or so that I'd like to remember:

Watching my baby sleep.  I am overcome lately by her babyness, by her enormous peachy cheeks, by the little sounds she makes, her happy disposition, her little thigh rolls and dainty fingers.  I want to see who she'll become, but I also want her to stay like this for-ever : (

I was thinking recently how I used to love having Vera help me in the kitchen - measuring, mixing, dumping, etc. We always had so much fun together and I thought it was so neat to see a little person gaining knowledge and independence like that. However, it seems like it was a neat toddler or preschool thing to do and she rarely helps me anymore! I seem to cook mostly when they are out of the way.  Sad. So the other day I expressed this to Vera and said maybe she could even make the mac n cheese on her own next time. I was already making dinner here and really almost done, but she ran to get her little chef hat and mitten and helped me finish the sauce. Really, she added some dried herbs, salt+pepper and stirred. That's all. But she was so excited, saying she had made dinner. I was upstairs giving Ruth a bath and came down to find she'd set the table all fancy with candles and served all our pasta. It was incredibly cute and I am determined now to get her really making things!

This picture of Edie just makes my heart ache (in a sweet way).  One night a little while ago, we had our neighbors over for dinner.  The kids were on the floor coloring and she kept coming up to me at the table with little cards she'd made - randomly cut pieces of cardstock with hearts and flowers. That night she happened to have a huge swollen mosquito bite under one eye and another on her nose. She had drawn a beard with face paint earlier in the day - basically she had a little face that only a mother could love.  She made about five cards and every time she'd give me a new one, she would jump up and down and clap her hands in excitement at the gift she was giving me.  Her sweet expression of love combined with her adorably beat up face just made my heart swell.

*everyday

I have one more big summer visit to catch up on, but really started this blog to remember the everyday moments - here's a few:

Edie is really getting into dress up - I couldn't handle this adorable ensemble:

putting on a very entertaining variety show last night: 

reallly wanting to get moving and reach those toys:

*visit from Unko Matty

We had an incredibly full and wonderful summer and I'd like to catch up here!

The weekend after getting back from Utah, Matty came for a long weekend visit. It's amazing what you can fit into a short amount of time: we spent a day at Walden Pond, bowling in Somerville, ate Dumplings in Chinatown, went blueberry picking, drove along the coast of NH to Maine where we spent a night in Oguinquit - swimming in the hotel pool, eating a couple amazing meals, drinking good beers ("Mo" from Maine Brewing Company!! current favorite), walking along the Marginal Way, swimming in the ocean (ok not me)...  We were all so glad to have him here, so thankful we get to see our family as much as we do.

Of course he came bearing gifts:

Kisses for the newest Cater girl:

One of our favorite places here - candlepin bowling, beer and flatbread pizza. Not too bad.

Matty takes the best pictures. Here they are at the Y where we just got a membership:

Walden Pond really is a beautiful and peaceful place.  We had kind of a hectic time getting in though - they were turning cars away for having reached occupancy, so we snuck in in kind of a roundabout way, it was so hard on my rule-following tendencies!! When confronted with the Park Ranger I just kept saying that I needed to nurse the baby - anyway, long story.  Everyone kept commenting on how un-Thoreau it all was!

Blueberry picking in Western Maine:

me and Rudy waiting for the others. She was just starting solids here and loved the little bits of blueberry I fed her!

the owner offered to take the others on a ride around the property in his pickup. I was so happy for the girls to have this experience - I got to do that all the time with my Grandpa :)

seafood lunch in Kittery, Maine: Ruth tried and liked fish and chips (well minus the chips and the fried bits).

Flying on Unko's feet (some of my new most favorite pictures):

Matty took them to the toy store to let them pick out whatever they wanted for their birthdays [luckies?!] Edie got a princess dress and this unicorn that she is in love with.

I love to see these brothers together: