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happiest thanksgiving, my friends. wherever you are, i hope today brings you sweetness, relaxation, good company, and laughter in abundance.

i love you all, and am so very humbled and thankful to have you in our lives.
xoxo

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i’m far from being an enlightened buddha-being, but i do actively try to live every day with gratefulness. i keep little lists all over the place (my mom is kind enough to hide away all those old journals when she finds them), and the grateful list has been something i’ve been jotting down since i was in junior high (other lists at the time: favorite tv shows, favorite songs, and most handsome boys in school). i love remembering the little things, and not feeling too silly to say i’m grateful for simple amazingness like pretty dinner forks and shiny paperclips.

this “attitude of gratitude” (hear that phrase in the larger-than-life tone of a Southern Baptist Preacher) has a power beyond my own, bringing little bits of light into every day. it’s gotten me though sickness and sadness and loss, and never let me forget that there is goodness around me worth looking for, worth striving for.

because it’s thanksgiving week, and because life is so sweet despite all the bumps and bruises, here’s a few to share…

[i am ever thankful for:]

~ my family. all of them. they are at the core of my heart, with me always.
~ this tribe of friends that nurture us, support us, laugh with us, sing with us, dance with us, share with us, cry with us, and allow us to be exactly who we are. (my friends are generous, kind, and very nice-looking too.)
~ the good health of my children. and my husband. and my parents. etc.
~ the baby-swing that has helped eliza nap (nearly) every morning for 10-months so mommy can have a little quiet-time.
~ my camera + knowing how to use it.
~ books, and the love of reading.
~ soft pillows and fluffy bedding.
~ bunches of lavender and daydreams of southern france.
~ cape cod and the national seashore.
~ southern california, and trips to remember.
~ road trips
~ my voice
~ morning coffee. afternoon coffee. a travel mug that doesn’t leak.
~ that super-smooth baby stroller our neighbors let us “borrow” until eliza outgrows it
~ maira kalman’s drawings and life-perspective
~ disneyworld
~ the calming smell of nag champa incense
~ memories of my grandparents (and -greats, and dear aunt bernie, too)
~ being able to sit down at the piano and play
~ being trusted
~ being able to trust others, and having a good instinct for who deserves it
~ the oxford comma
~ new york city
~ stephen sondheim
~ girl-y giggles
~ little girls in ballet shoes
~ the royal tennenbaums
~ marriage equality
~ lucky paperclips (they’re lucky because we find them everywhere, when we least expect it)
~ being myself, for better or for worse.
~ love. being loved.

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i’m so grateful for you, too, for reading this and being here and opening your heart. thank you, thank you, thank you. xoxo

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we stopped at the italian restaurant after school; emma begged to go, and i thought “ok, why not?”. we had the place to ourselves and the service was quick. eliza was filled with contentment and unlimited bread. i took pictures and we laughed a lot, talking about her day and my day and the holidays ahead. we made up poems and played guessing games. we called it dinner even though it was not even 4pm (we had enough for leftovers at 6:30, too).

nothing too special or fancy or even out-of-the-ordinary. but more than anything it made me so grateful for a few extra dollars in my pocket and a freelance life; for a schedule that allows me to pick her up from school, be spontaneous, and enjoy some special afternoon quality-time. these girls, this family…they are my heart, and i love them so. getting to be with them, really enjoying their company, is my sweetest luxury.

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xoxo, my friends. hope you’re enjoying sweet little luxuries, quality time, and an unlimited bread basket, too.

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[monday's list: five random things]

#1. eliza can’t crawl, but she can scoot really quickly across the room, backwards. she keeps backing into walls (or in one instance, under the couch) and getting stuck.

#2. i am bound+determined to take the cover-picture of our christmas card in the lobby of The Mark hotel. hoping that if i get the girls dressed up and just take them there tomorrow afternoon we won’t get kicked out or reprimanded before i get the perfect shot.

#3. in addition to christmas cards, i’ve also been obsessing about where to have the girls’ birthday party (parties?). i’d like to invite our favorite adults as well as emma’s school chums, but paying $30+ per kid (and adult), although inexplicably common here, isn’t a reasonable option for us. i wonder how many people we could fit happily into our place? (i like to think that if the music and the company are good enough, the space doesn’t matter so much…)

#4. oh! but first, for my birthday + all my december birthday friends, i do believe a festive get-together is in order.

#5. our 10-year-old desktop computer in the bedroom (the one with all the sketchy non-itunes music downloads) isn’t working. not sure at what point we just give up and throw the darn thing out. also not sure if this further justifies getting an ipad.

#6. emma has her early-childhood “prayer service” (really, it’s a program with singing, cuteness, and breakfast) this morning. the kindergarteners are reciting a poem.

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happy monday, my friends. hope your week is short on work and moves quickly toward rest and relaxation. xo
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[she's working on her blank abercrombie-catalog stare]

[emma and ellie, neighbors and schoolmates]

her big sister loves apples. eliza really wanted to try some, too.

when big sister sat down, eliza pounced on that apple.

within a minute or two, eliza had grabbed the apple on her own, alternating between holding it in her hands and putting it on the floor and trying to just dive into it face-first.

she takes real bites, too, working hard with all five of those little teeth.

bonus: afterwards, it doubles as a ball.

hooray for sweetness, little joys, and feeling so big.