Church Street Checklist

Over the weekend, we went to Panera's on Church Street in Burlington. We sat at the window and people-watched for a long time.

We saw so many interesting folks that we thought you may have fun spotting them too. During your next visit, see if you can find the following:

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Church Street Checklist

• A guy on crutches dancing
• A couple walking barefoot
• 10 women not wearing bras
• A kid with a green smoothie
• A woman dancing with her dog
• Someone climbing a statue
• A guy doing a handstand on a two-story stack of chairs
• Anyone talking about eating "only organic" foods
• A man not wearing pants
• A man pretending to make love to his Ben & Jerry's ice cream cone
• 5 people with dreadlocks
• A severely sunburned woman, eating pizza
• Someone urinating
• A couple both wearing socks and sandals
• Someone picking up dog poop

 Bonus Points Awarded for the Following:

• A guy falling from a two-story stack of chairs  
• A boombox
• Clown glasses
• An abandoned crepe
• Champ, the Lake Monster

Thanks to Krista for her help with these!

AHHHHHH!

Happenings
So, E is going through the screech phase again... Actually, I'm not sure there are "phases" per se. It never really goes away. It just creeps up when I least expect it... like at check-out in the supermarket.

I don't know if I can quite explain how loud it is, but if you're within 10 feet of her after said screeching, your ears will have that after-concert plugged feeling for at least 5 minutes.

Yesterday, in Shaw's, she screamed so loud that the cashier screamed too, then yelled, "Oh my GOD!! She scared me!!" I never batted an eye as I scanned my card and punched buttons on the keypad, and E grinned, quite content with herself.

I tell the woman that ignoring it works best, but the truth is that I hardly notice it any more, which is probably why E wanted to test it out on a new victim.

Currently Listening To
(You're so Square) But I Don't Care -- Buddy Holly

Weather in VT
Cloudy, chilly! Get the long-sleeves back out!

Go, Go, Go!

Happenings
Well, "Go, go, go!" is our mantra now. My best friend from high school, Krista, came to visit this weekend. Our goal was to thoroughly haul out E's room. On Friday, I had made two "sort" piles and was happy with my handiwork. Though Krista was willing to help, I soon gave in to the warm weather and sunshine and declared our work done for the weekend. She was staying in town at the Best Western, so, instead of cleaning, E and I took full advantage of the hotel services and spent both Saturday and Sunday morning enjoying the indoor pool.

As soon as E woke up, I could hear her on her monitor from our room, "Mama!!! Go, go, go!?" Of course, I stumble out of bed like a lazy zombie, no bra, hair frizzed out in all directions.
"What?" I mumble.
"Go, go go!! Water!"
"Oh, okay, well we have to get ready first."
 Mark is in the same state as I am, so he does his best to help shuffle us out the door. Diaper bag packed, sandals on. I scrounge around for my jeans I was wearing yesterday and my sunglasses. Before my eyes are completely open, I'm driving to the hotel for a swim.

And, gah! I love it. I used to wake up early with lots of energy and want to get right out the door. Even though she pushes me out a little earlier than I'd like, with hardly any time to get myself ready or a bag packed (I usually forget a few things), I'm so happy to be on the go with her. It was a beautiful weekend.

Last night, Mark insisted we have some time together after E was in bed. I could tell he hadn't quite been himself lately -- off in his own world a bit, sneaking away from the chaos, cherishing his few moments with us, then retreating into his own quiet space. We both have days like that. Though, I was a little concerned when, before E went to bed, I was sitting in her room ready for story time, and he was in the kitchen brushing her teeth. I heard him say, "Ok, go get Mama. She's ready to put you to bed."

E came running into her room chewing on her toothbrush and wielding a candle lighter that I was sure she swiped from the kitchen counter, now more within her reach. She was all smiles and giggles, and I knew Mark was oblivious.
"Mark! Did you see what your daughter has?"

He yelled back, half-heartedly, "Oh yeah. No running with your toothbrush..."
"Um... ok."

I swiped it from her, read her a few stories -- she would only let me read her absolute favorite, "Hooper Humperdink? Not Him!" sang a few songs, and tucked her in.

Then Mark and I played MTG and Parcheesi and chatted, like old times. He said at one point, "You know... we could do this almost every night...!" Haha! Yep, it's amazing what we can do when we take a break from TV/work/the couch. Since E has been born, we crave that relaxation time, but I forgot how much fun it was to reconnect over board games -- and how relaxing it is too.

At one point, he even scolded me for checking Facebook on my phone. He was right. We needed phone-free time. It was nice.

Then Monday came. This morning I caught E wearing her tshirt as pants and saying, "Go, go, go!" I explained that we were going to day care today, but she didn't seem to mind as long as it meant going somewhere. When I tried to get in the shower, she barged in and demanded an explanation of why we weren't go-go-going right away. I told her that I needed to get in the shower first. Mark stood in the doorway, holding her shirt.
"Mama!! Get in shower?"
"Yes, I have to take a shower before we go."
"Luh-luh-luh shower?"
"Yep."
She thought about it a minute longer then closed the door on Mark as if to say, "Mama needs to take a shower... get out," and stood facing me. "There, Mama."
"Wait a minute..." I opened the door and ushered her out too.

She went off to daycare fine, and I enjoyed a relatively quiet morning at work. Now I'm off to work on her room some more before we go go go to the park later.

Currently Listening To
My Girl, by the Temptations

Weather in VT
Sunny, hot, thunderstorms, cool, cloudy, etc.!

Home Again

So, we had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with my family. And, for the first time in a long time, 10 hours on the road with a 1-year-old was relaxing. I just had to force myself to do things a little differently...

When it was just Mark and I, we would leave whenever we got out of work to start the 5-hour trek to upstate New York. If we did that now, it'd mean leaving at E's pre-bed time and fighting to get her to sleep in the car.

Instead, we left Saturday morning, and she happily rode for hours, taking in the sights. The purpose of the drive wasn't "to get there." It was to enjoy a day in the car as a family -- singing songs, talking, playing games, and watching a movie. We made frequent stops to eat, to enjoy the ferry ride.

Both traveling days were rather zen and family-focused. It set the stage for the weekend as we visited on my parents' porch, took the kids to the park with my sister, went for walks, and ate cold cuts. Life went on as usual in New York, with us fitting into the daily routines as if we never moved to Vermont.

Last night, when I got home, my VT life greeted me with a slap in the face. Though I had cleaned the kitchen before we left, toys were strewn everywhere, and a laundry pile almost as tall as me glared at me as I walked in the door. Blech.

Today, I'm truly in a New York state of mind, where the houses are clean, windows are open to let in fresh air, and summer is washing over the town -- neighbors returning from camp, pedestrians lazily wandering to the park to lounge on a bench. I love my VT life, but NY is home.

On Sunday, my sister and I walked to another park on the other side of my parents' house. She explained to me how to get there, and I sought it out only to find that this was the park that I used to play at, when I was about 5 and we had just moved to town. Besides a new main play-structure, everything else was the same -- swings and jungle-gym. The metal was worn in the same places. Millions of children's hands must have gripped those bars, climbed and climbed, fallen, gotten up, then grown too old to climb just for the sake of climbing.

Hopscotch must not be as popular now, because no one had bothered to re-paint the lines and numbers on the court. I found just a faint outline of the number 10 then found myself wondering what comes after. At which moment exactly did it stop? On which day did I not reach for a rock and run back to 1?

Somedays I feel so much like a child, my life falling apart around me and not knowing how to pick up the pieces or where to put them. Yet, somehow I'm building it -- maybe awkwardly and crooked in places, and I see all the things I dreamed about or pretended -- on that very playground, in my life now -- a drive to work, a meal on the table, a husband, a daughter.

I can't help but find the beauty in my daughter skipping over the faint outline of the hop-scotch numbers, swinging, running in the grass, and yelling, "Go, go, go!"

And I tell myself, "While I'm lacking, she's growing. There's a bigger picture. Here's a glimpse. Jump to it. Hold on. Reach higher. Swing. Go, go, go."

Lens-Cap Thief Steals My Heart

A few pics between temper tantrums... It was a no-nap day, with a half-hearted attempt at a time-out that ended in giggles, snuggles, and a "Sorry, Mama." That's okay, baby. Wanna play with the camera? "Yeah."