I have a super soft spot in my heart for this family and the beautiful blue eyed children they keep producing. Every year I have seen them, they had just had a child and were in the process of moving. All three times. Now they live in a land far from the Northeast but I am so honored they make the time to schedule a session with me when they are back in the Boston area to see family.
Kids just done get much cuter than this.
Posts Tagged ‘providence’
Nov
27
2009
Three is a charm
Nov
04
2009
leaf project failure and or fiber
We have been spending a lot of time with the kids outdoors the last few days when it hasn’t been raining. There are so few days left in RI to get outside without loosing the feelings in our extremities.
I found this project posted on a blog I really enjoy about a DIY craft for a Leaf Alphabet based on an idea from Martha Stewart’s site found here:
So I thought to myself- I can absolutely get my kids to sit and create these… Dunedin is totally into letters right now and Griffin, well, he likes to eat leaves… (He’s just adding fiber to his diet, right?) Sigh.
There is this little voice I sometimes hear in my head when it comes to parenting or crafting ideas and she was giggling “What are you thinking?” more than once during our attempt at leaf collection. So I have no stunning photos of our leaf project where the kids could show off their knowledge of the animal kingdom by making echidnas and narwhals out of leaves.
That little voice is snickering at the last sentence.
Instead we shifted gears and played a very successful matching game while walking though the woods. One of us would find a leaf and we would all have to match the tree it came from. Or Griffin would eat them. Which ever came first.
But fun was had by all in the end.
Oct
07
2009
Grape Jelly Greatness aka Child Labor Laws Sidelined
A few weeks ago we had a crop of concord grapes falling from the vines behind our house. The kids were eating them by the bellyful, seeds and all. (Bellyful: adj. term of measurement equal to or greater than what an average elephant can consume)
My head filled with fears of grape vines growing in their bellies or worse: the next diaper change. I decided to take matters into my own hands and make some grape jelly with the kids. I picked a day off from work and rolled up our sleeves (or by some act of parenting wisdom, I dressed the kids in short sleeves). We picked, we ate, picked, threw them at each other, slipped on them and made a general mess.
At some point we filled a big pot.
Then we had to take them off the stems.
For some reason the kids were less interested in this part of the process, but that is what I get for paying so little for my labor costs. From there, the boiling of the grapes- then the churning, swishing, squeezing of the grapes. Interest peaked again at this point.
But not when I explained squished grapes outside were one thing- Grapes on floor and carpet a different one altogether.
In all, the whole process took almost half a day. The hardest part was telling the kids they would have to wait until the jelly set for a day before we could eat it. That’s not true. The hardest part was the whole caning sterilizing process. For some reason, I figured, how hard can it be to process all these cans in a boiling thing of water without racks? Turns out not as easy as I thought.
It also turns out I should read instructions. My husband tells me this sometimes- he may be on to something (just don’t tell him I said so). Apparently, just because I thought the jelly mixture was sweet enough with the 4 cups of sugar instead of the 7 the recipe requested, it was not the right sugar/gel ratio. Who knew chemistry would be so important in cooking…
Needless to say, I got to do the whole thing again.
Now we have some gifts to start handing out. Unless the kids eat it all first.
Sep
30
2009
You know your children are from the NorthEast when
- It is 70 degrees outside in September and they are thrilled to suit up and jump in the Ocean.
- They eat the fried clams even after they dipped them in sand then in Tartar sauce. (Some sort of double breading technique? Emeril might know- I think he is from around here)
- They are pale, pale shade of white even after a summer of being outside.
- They burn after being in just under 1.5 hours of sun.
All these photos are from our lovely day at the Salty Brine Beach in RI. It is perfect for kids as it has long wide sandy beaches perfect for digging and sand castling. The waves are gentle and since the beach is protected the surf is quite manageable for even our little ones. Dunedin seemed to have more chutzpa in regards for going into the deeper waters. Griffin was, for the first time I have seen him, more trepidations of a new situation. But Dunes held his hand and was determined to lead him in. We actually had a hard time getting them both out in the end. I have to thank my friend Miriam for such a great recommendation. She is our resident RI expert and seems to know the low down on all the places to go and visit in this lovely state we now call home.
Sep
09
2009
Julia and Lucas- Providence Family Portraits
Wow. Time flies. I met Lucas (and his lovely handlers) when he was just about 1. Now he is a big brother and about to turn 2! Julia seems up to the task of competing in the cuteness category in her house.
I wish for Jess and Matt all the sleep they can dig up.
And a big cheers and congrats to a family that figured out how to manage pregnancy, work, a 22 month old, 2 dogs, a bar exam, and a well timed delivery. And somehow they still have smiles to spare.
