matching...

One of our latest adventures is getting dressed in the morning. It is a balancing act between practicality (nope, can't wear your swimsuit all day), wanting to encourage her Independence, and my wanting to get use out of all the adorable clothes we have for her. If she got her way she would wear pjs, swimsuits, "cozy pants" (leggings) and lots of accessories. In trying to help her make good clothing decisions, I started talking about the idea of matching. she would pick a pair of stretch pants and then we would try to find all the shirts that might match. She was so excited yesterday when she found a shirt and pants that matched! I guess I need to talk about coordinating instead of matching- she was right it did match and she wore it proudly all day. so much for her stylish wardrobe!

Spring photos

Here are some of the shots from the girls' last photo shoot with our friend pk. There aren't as many of lucy because she doesn't do much yet, but I love the ones of Rory outside our house and the one he did get of lucy is a great photo considering she was only 6 wks old. my favorite one is of Rory sitting in the back patio where you can see her green socks. those socks represent the daily adventure that is getting her dressed and her constant struggle to add one more accessory. It's no wonder that the Fancy Nancy book became a quick favorite. She does seem to have a decent sense of style, she always manages to make it work. Thanks to PK for continueing to give us these images! I am trying to push him towards doing this professionally, I think he is really good! Lot's going on in the next few weeks, I feel like everyone is all over the map, so please all travel safe and have fun. ~b

25 months and 2 months

Just some snapshots of life at our house with a 2 month old and a 25 month old. Lucy continues to change and grow and rory continues to grow and be silly.

c'mon dude

Just one of those things I don't want to forget. A couple of days ago I was driving and I slammed on the brakes before I could say anything, I hear from the back seat "c'mon dude!". too funny- at least she repeated that and not something worse. Today I had to brake a bit hard again and this time I heard "c'mon dude, gimme a break!" wow- what a great reminder that she will do as I do and not as I say!

Corn Dog Day 2009

Same story as the last post- just got these off the diaper bag camera. We only made a brief appearance at corndog day this year b/c Pat and Brady had to get to the rose garden to watch the NCAA games that were in portland this year. Also- it was Rory's actual birthday and I didn't think watching that kind of debauchery all day was an appropriate way to celebrate. We do thank Evan and Renee for hosting a great party and for providing Rory with her first taste of corndog. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about check out http://www.corndogday.com/

back track to st.patrick's day

So one of the benefits of having my new big camera is that I get to keep my old little digital in the diaper bag at all times- which has come in handy many times. The drawback is that I forget about it and hardly ever remember to download pics from it- so when I do they are older. Sooooo, here are some pics from the weekend before st. Patrick's day. We used to go to the Kell's tent on Saturday night and meet up with large groups of friends and celebrate in true Irish style, with many Guinness. For the past 2 years we have done the modified version of Saturday afternoon, meeting just a few friends and equal parts food and drinks. It actually is a lot of fun, and i don't miss the nighttime version at all. When you go in the afternoon it is free, you get to watch little kids dance to Irish music, including our little leprechaun. Rory loved the Irish Wolfhound dogs- they are absolutely stunningly huge and graceful. All in all a really fun day. This year Pat's parents came down to meet us so Rory was in heaven with Baba to spring for face painting and souvenirs. We didn't get to do the Adidas walk this year due to other commitments, but are hoping to bring it back as a maloney family tradition next year. The other great part of going to the kells tent is you get to see BP wearing green- a once a year event! for all you portlanders I highly recommend this family friendly event and hope to see you there next year!

6 week comparison

random pics...

Just wanted to post some current pics of the girls. Lucy is sporting her best beaver basketball watching gear (and her only departure from footie jammies) and Rory is enjoying the first sunny day of the season. I am struck by these pictures at how much Rory is starting to look like Pat's baby pictures. For awhile she was a dead ringer for me at that age, but now she is definitely looking like a maloney. Lucy looks a lot like Rory and if I get a minute I will dig out some pics of Rory at this age. We are six weeks into being a family of 4 and everything is going along fine. I feel more rested then I remember from last time. The biggest challenge at this point is keeping up with all the stuff. I feel like i spend a good portion of my resources moving things from one floor to another and constantly trying to keep clothes/books/toys/dishes etc organized/clean/put away. Rory is experiencing some serious emotions these days. quick to tears and a low tolerance for almost everything is the mood of the day. I am attributing it to her age, molars, a lasting cold, growing pains, or probably a combination of these. I try to remain patient and find the delicate balance between validating what she is experiencing and not pandering to it. I can't tell you how many times a day I say "It's okay to cry if you are sad or frustrated, but crying is not going to change my answer or get you what you want" and she responds through choking tears "big girl (hiccup) words (sniff sniff) get me (hiccup) what I (sniff) want" Most times she tries to be brave and work through it, but there have been a couple of complete melt downs. Also a good refresher for me on my counseling skills of being present, not projecting, and picking my battles. We went to an Easter party the other day and she started the process of leaving the house in a cute party dress, white sparkle shoes and a white sweater (an outfit that we painstakingly laid out the night before and that would meet even my grandmother's idea of Easter appropriate). By the time we actually left the house and after my best effort at reverse psychology, pleading and flat out bribery (none of which worked) I gave in and she arrived in the green party dress, red patent leather boots, a hot pink sweater and sun glasses. Like I said, I am reminding myself daily to pick my battles. She actually looked really cute in a alternative, Hawthorne hip kind of way. It is probably good that my grandmother isn't around to see what 3rd generation fiercely independent tomboy looks like, although I think she had some of that in her it was just hidden deeply behind a sweet and and equally fierce sense of appropriateness. I am rambling and nap time is officially over- back to work!