happy birthday

Today my little blog is one year old.
It still seems very new to me, which is good, I suppose.  I have learned quite a bit in this first year but I know I am still just getting started.  I think I am mostly proud of myself for keeping it going for a whole year.  It has not been as easy as I expected.

The name, lambscapearchitect, came from Eloise.  I was trying and trying to come up with a clever and creative name that wasn't already being used.  One night I entered about 40 suggestions into Blogger.  Every time it would come back as "not allowed" because it was already taken.  So much for clever and creative.  I just couldn't get started until I settled on a name.   The next morning while I was still in bed Eloise said she wanted to be a landscape architect when she grew up.  At least, that's what I thought she said.  I asked her what kinds of things they do, expecting something along the lines of "trees and plants".  Instead, she said, "I dunno, like if a lamb escapes or something...".  And, there it was.

I have really enjoyed writing for this blog and reading and hearing all of the reactions to different posts.    I hope that you have enjoyed reading about me and my family and our little lambscape life.   If you haven't, sorry.   If you have, please consider passing it along to someone you think would also enjoy it.
Thank you  for your support...and for laughing in all the right places.

 I wish I had actually made this cupcake

 and then eaten it

instead of just stealing this image from a stock photo

pioneer days

We are still riding high on the pioneer wagon around here these days.  It is a great theme that still gets put in the rotation of pretend play along with, "Kit in the Depression", "Finding an Orphan", and "School".  Wow, writing that I realize that I need to find some more lighthearted reading material for Eloise.

You can imagine the excitement around here when we were invited to attend a Pioneer Days event at none other than Aunt Vicki's school.  We were set to embark on an event that would combine some of Eloise's top loves---school, 5th graders, learning about pioneers, dressing up like pioneers, and Aunt Vicki.

Aunt Vicki, my sister in law, is the kind of person you meet and think, "Oh, yeah, of course you are a teacher".  She has such a love and passion for teaching, learning, and for reading.  Aunt Vicki is responsible for about 98% of the children's books in our house and believe me, there are many.  She has fostered such a love for reading in my children with her excitement and encouragement---and by always showing up with a book!  When Vicki heard the news I was pregnant with Eloise she drove downtown to surprise me at work with a bag of children's books.  We have probably read each of the books in that first delivery over a thousand times.

Pioneer days was a wonderful event organized by the teachers and the parents at Vicki's school.  There is a family that travels around the country from school to school in an RV with all this authentic pioneer stuff. The 5th graders, and Eloise and Harriet, went to each exhibit  to learn about different aspects of pioneer life in a hands on, museum-like way.  Vicki had told her students that the girls were coming and so they were so excited to take them from station to station and show them around and help them make the most out of each exhibit.   Her students were so sweet and enthusiastic and caring with the girls.  I can see that Aunt Vicki is rubbing off on them.

learning to spin wool

can you spot the 5 year old?

panning for gold

of course, harriet finds a pioneer baby

aunt vicki and students playing with the pioneer toys

rolling out dough they made from wheat

note to self--get a giant pot and fill it

with lincoln logs

eloise reported that the 'laundry station'

was the most boring.

no shit.

aunt vicki in her classroom with her 

favorite students

still crazy after all these years

I don't know when my love for Paul started.  It just seems like he's always been my #1.  I'm sure my parents played him around our house, my dad loved his music and still does.  When Graceland came out in 1986 (!!!) and the boy I had a crush on in 8th grade read the lyrics to the title track in front of the whole class for poetry day, I was in for life.  It all comes back to love doesn't it?

As much as I love Paul Simon and his songwriting and his music I had never been lucky enough to see him live.

I found out that he was coming to Chicago but it was too late and the show was already sold out.  I was still holding out hope for some kind of StubHub situation and proceeded to drop 10,000 hints that tickets would make an excellent Mother's Day present and would make all my dreams come true.  No luck.

I put the idea out of my head until Mike called me at 5:45 pm on Tuesday and said he was at the Chicago Theater.   He was able to get tickets and could I find a sitter and get downtown by 7:30.

My mother-in-law rushed over to stay with the girls, I put Harriet to bed, explained all the excitement to Eloise, and tried to devote 3 minutes to some makeup and a hairbrush.  Eloise stood watching me in the bathroom as I hurried to get ready.  She said, "Mom, I just feel so much happiness for you right now."  So sweet.

The seats were amazing.  Tenth row in the beautiful Chicago Theater.  He was just right there in front of us in all his unassuming glory.  I cried.  The songs just kept on coming.   I couldn't tell if he was singing all of my favorite songs or if all of his songs are my favorite.

The show was incredible.  Dare I say...magical.  I will never forget it.
I feel incredibly lucky.

giant nerd poses with the marquee.

and I do mean giant!  why am I as tall as 

said marquee?

waiting for the show to start.

can you feel the excitement?

xoxoxo

dada

Today is the birthday of the most popular person in our family--"Dada".

The girls and I planned a little birthday breakfast celebration for our favorite fella.  Eloise made lots of pictures to decorate the kitchen and we served up all his faves---smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, croissants, fresh squeezed (not by me) o.j., and coffee.

Harriet colored a picture for him on piece of white, round cardboard from the previous night's pizza order.  After he admired it, she promptly took it to the dishwasher thinking it was a plate.

Eloise, always one for a joke, made him a card on a gigantic piece of paper and then folded it up into a little envelope so it would be a surprise when he opened it and unfolded it for an hour.  He loved the gag but also the content...

"Dada, I really love you and that's because it is your birthday.  

I like it when you go on bike rides with me.  

I hope you get a whole supermarket full of peaches for your birthday!  

Love, Eloise

After breakfast, it was time for Dada to head to work. 

 Every single day Eloise and Mike have an extended dance remix farewell out our front window.  This has been going on since Eloise could stand.  She can be anywhere in the house-- in the middle of a meal, a show, a tantrum, or a game but when she hears that front door lock she bolts to the front window to take her post.   She begins by blowing 1000 kisses, waving, jumping up and down, yelling funny things through the window and laughing hysterically as her father reacts to every one of them in the silliest way possible.  People walking by chuckle to themselves and people driving by can only see Mike outside pretending to fall down from the weight of all the blown kisses and bouncing around like a goofball with his briefcase in hand on someone's front lawn.  

Today, Harriet got in on the goodbyes.  Both his girls gave an extra special birthday rendition of "Goodbye, Dada".  I could tell from the look on Mike's face, through the window, that this was his best present of the day.  

dada and his #1 fans

(and a doll)

eloise proud of her card

if this had audio it would sound something like this:

dada, dada, dada, bye daddy, mmwah, mmwah, 

dada, mmwah, mmwah, dada, bye, bye, bye...

those darn hippies

Eloise has been dreaming of a tie dye birthday party for her fifth birthday since one day after her fourth birthday party.  I think Mike died and went to heaven when he heard this.  He fancies himself the tie dye expert of the family---doesn't every family have one?

The key to a celebration involving permanent dye and 5 year olds is keeping it to a smallish affair.  We did just that and had a great time.  The kids each made a shirt (Mike made 4), we threw around some rainbow colors, and good colorful times were had by all.

the rainbow balloons arriving

trippy, dude

working hard on the tie dying

rainbow cupcakes

tie dye table

tie dye rainbow cupcakes

a close up because I was really proud of these babies

Welcome, Kit!

This past week we welcomed a new member of the family.

Eloise celebrated her 5th birthday this past week.  To kick off what turned out to be a week long celebration we gave her an American Girl Doll---Kit Kittredge and her dog, Grace.

You can't even imagine the excitement.

It really was love at first sight.  All of the sudden they were inseparable.  I heard her reading to Kit.  They had a tea party together.  They had a Christmas cookie exchange.  She asks to go to her room as soon as she gets home from school so she can play with Kit.  Kit sleeps in a little bed next to Eloise's every night... once they are in their matching nightgowns.

Grandma and Grandpa sent a truckload of outfits and accessories to go along with her new bff.  I don't know who was more excited, Eloise or me.  As we opened each little box I found myself screaming things like, "Look!  A clutch purse!" or, "Ohmygosh!  I love this cloche!"    I couldn't get enough of all the tiny little accessories and accompanying sets of toys.

Her cousin, Hannah very sweetly sent a huge bag of matching outfits for Eloise and Kit to wear.  These were Hannah's when she was about the same age and she passed them on to her biggest admirer. Well, this naturally set a day long fashion show marathon in motion.

We have now been almost a week with Kit in the house and she is a lovely addition.  But remember when I was so thrilled at the sight of all those tiny and precious accessories that number in the billions?

They are everywhere!!!

You can't walk two steps in this house without stepping on a tiny shoe or a velvet beret or a miniature Depression era glass fruit cocktail cup.   The arrival of Kit has really challenged my organization skills.  I am working on a solution that needs to be accessible, attractive, mobile, and not cost more than the doll itself.  Ideas?  I think Kit might need her own room.

Kit arrives in the wee hours of 

birthday morning

a small sampling of very small things that 

kit brought with her

eloise calls this the flower girl look

outfit #2

for the record, eloise has not 

worn jeans in 3 years.  

kit made it happen.

and finally, sleepwear.

goodnight, friends.