not just a mathlete.

Anderson had his first-ever soccer practice yesterday, and defying all odds . . . he liked it! Let's hope the enthusiasm continues!!

Hope you have a great labor day weekend! Can't believe there's only one week left 'til the first day of school!!!

there's something about henry.

Without saying a single word, he still conveys so much personality.

off to work.

Last week, Tom took Andy in to work with him for the day.

on the train. for some reason, even though I rotated this photo, it will not post upright.

coffee cake, cinnamon toast crunch, oj. breakfast of champions. and future CEOs. 

overheard.

The other day the boys were playing pirates, running through the house after dinner with their treasure maps and hooks that they had made at camp. Rowan is singing "we're both cranky crooks. We're both sneaky snooks" And Andy just keeps telling him "Follow me, Silly Slob!"

Later, I hear Rowan tell Andy, "Go swab your own deck!"

Another one I loved was when Rowan asked me to make him an egg for lunch. Of course he didn't actually eat it. But if he wanted to try, I was not going to discourage it. So as I was scrambling the egg, Rowan asked me, "Is it ready yet?" And before I could answer him, Andy says "No, Rowan. It doesn't stink yet. You'll know it's done when the kitchen smells terrible."

on why I stay home.

This past weekend in the New York Times Magazine, the cover story (The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In) really struck a chord. If you haven't seen it, here's a quick summary: it's all about moms in highly successful careers -- usually about 8-10 years further along than where I (and a lot of my friends) were in our own careers when we "opted out"-- and how after choosing to stay at home with their kids, they now regret the decision and would like to return to work for various reasons. Many are having trouble finding meaningful employment in an economic downturn. Added to that, after staying home with their kids, many have found their priorities on what they are looking for in a career have changed, making it even harder to find desirable and lucrative employment. 

While the immediate takeaway from the article is that these women feel that they should have never chosen to become stay at home moms, the larger takeaway builds on Sheryl Sandberg's message in her book Lean In: that this country needs political and cultural changes in the way we view and reward success at work, to make it easier for women to simultaneously have both a family life and the ability to advance in their careers. 

I've listened to the arguments, and I agree with a lot of the points that are being made: 1) Successful women should not opt-out because they are in a key position to make cultural changes in the workplace that will open the door for family friendly policies for women in the future. 2) The argument that daycare costs would equal or negate the woman's salary at the time she opts-out is not forward-thinking -- it needs to be viewed as a long term cost. The long-term effect of leaving the workplace for only a few years will cause a woman to forevermore make less than had she stayed in the workplace permanently. 3) Children with two working parents, particularly girls, tend to have better self esteem than children with one working parent. 

I hear it all. I understand it. I get it. And still, all I can think is, life is short.

Don't get me wrong. A having-my-cake-and-eating-it-too solution would be ideal. But I am not willing to miss out on this special time in my life so that future generations might benefit. Call it selfish. But it's my one and only life. My babies are babies today, and in the blink of an eye, they wont be. Already, my first baby is getting ready to board the bus and ride off to his first day of kindergarten. And while I may not always be the most patient mom; while I don't always know what to do; and I definitely have my flaws; there is one thing I know for certain: that no one loves them and wants to take care of them the way I want to. And though they may thrive just as well if I were working, and my career is definitely in worse shape, for me, being home is the right choice because knowing myself, not being here would be the greatest regret I could ever have.

Yesterday, I was at Target with Henry. I was in the parking lot taking him out of the cart when an older man called out to me. "I wish I had a camera," he said. "If you could have seen the look on your face when you were playing with that baby. Pure happiness." I thanked him. And I thought about how much I love these babies. And as tired as I am. As exhausted as I look, and as hard as it is, I still love them so much and I love being with them. I couldn't imagine missing out on it for a minute.

I feel extremely blessed that I have a husband that can provide for our entire family so that I can stay home and enjoy this special time with these wonderful babies. For many, this is not an option. And I do not know what the future holds for any of us -- how long we will be here or how successful we will be financially or otherwise. I am certain that life will be hard at times and easier at others. But I will forevermore have this time to look back on. And I will do so without regret because, to me, this time is priceless.

sometimes we're boring.

And that's okay. Because we I get tired and need a rest. Boring can be good. But it doesn't give me much to say around these parts, it's true. So, here is a little glimpse into life when we're at home, hanging out, doing errands, and as Andy would say, "recharging."

First, I ignore child labor laws and put my children to work in my sweatshop.

Here I'm having the boys separate my fabric scraps into color coded piles. They thought it was fun. Until it wasn't.

Practicing.

The tedious chore of writing thank you notes with a five year old. More child labor.

Watching truck videos after dinner.

More practicing.

The wake of Henry. Or as we call him, Rowan 2.0

The original.

Purple and white potatoes from the farmers market.

Grilled veggies, a sunflower from rowan and a summer cocktail, thanks to my hubs, the weekend mixologist.
Here's the recipe for The Cuke, if you're feeling ambitious.

Summer tomato salad on the side.

At the mall.

And at the same time at the mall.

And there you have it. If you're still awake.

easy riders.

Donut in hand. Rollin' backwards.

Happy as can be.

Here comes speedy.

"I did it Daddy!"

three. (and ten!).

This weekend, Rowan turned three! We celebrated modestly with a trip to the planetarium and visits from the Grands. Later that night, Tom and I double-dipped on celebrating, by getting a babysitter so that we could go out to dinner and celebrate ten years!

While I feel guilty saying it, because no doubt turning three is a major milestone in the little dude's life, I also feel that our marriage turning ten years old is an even bigger milestone! We're hoping to celebrate with a little more fanfare in the fall, because, quite frankly, we earned it!! ;)

Overall, we had an awesome time celebrating everything with everyone, and a big thanks to you all for making it special for us!

Here are some pictures from this big/little weekend:

THREE!

Love, Mom and Dad

Walking around the Vanderbilt before the planetarium show. The same place we were three years ago the day I went into labor with Ro!

The gang -- with our newest addition -- Big T. Rex.

pizza time!

twins!

Presents!

Henry is eyeing that truck from afar. . . 

. . . and up close.

Rowan's awesome cake.

make a wish!
I hope he wished to be a better listener!

Heading out.

Selfie!

Waiting for a table inside.

Flaming Sausage.

Ten years.

Summer tomatoes at the Northport Farmer's Market.

Rowan helping fill the bags.

Waiting for a table at Sweet Mama's with Nanna.

Nanna!

Hope you had a great weekend, too! xoxo