pumpkins
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
from the Juliette archives
Two years ago, when Juliette was just about two, she was my commuting buddy. Many of the roads around DC require two or more passengers and Juliette instantaneously made me roadworthy.
We drove a car w/o a cd player, so we sang. Or I sang. Bruce and I have songbook of odes to Juliette that spontaneously generated from the time we got her. She had ten songs in her songbook by the time she was two. One of them is the classic "I love you Conrad" from Bye Bye Birdie - In the car I'd sing it to Juliette, then to daddy, then gramma, you get the picture.
One day, just about two years ago. Juliette sang it back to me " I love you Mommy, oh yes I do..." She sang the whole song and my heart just swelled. Her first song ever was to her mommy.
Quiet for a moment. Then she started to sing to her little stuffed dog...
"I love you Doggie, oh yes I do..."
We drove a car w/o a cd player, so we sang. Or I sang. Bruce and I have songbook of odes to Juliette that spontaneously generated from the time we got her. She had ten songs in her songbook by the time she was two. One of them is the classic "I love you Conrad" from Bye Bye Birdie - In the car I'd sing it to Juliette, then to daddy, then gramma, you get the picture.
One day, just about two years ago. Juliette sang it back to me " I love you Mommy, oh yes I do..." She sang the whole song and my heart just swelled. Her first song ever was to her mommy.
Quiet for a moment. Then she started to sing to her little stuffed dog...
"I love you Doggie, oh yes I do..."
Sunday, October 22, 2006
OT - What mommy has been up to
Enough anecdotes on small children - let's get back to me. Interesting sports fact, the Cardinals have the second worst season in history for a team in the World Series - who had the worst? The METS! How cruel is fate?
Books read recently - In the middle of "Heat" by Bill Buford. Loving it. Finished "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. While, I liked Namesake, it made me starving for Indian food. Thus, a trip to Indian buffet was made last weekend. We will also be going to Indian buffet next week. I am convinced that my version of food in heaven will include the following ethnic breakdowns - 56% Indian, 10% Mexican (emphasis Oaxacan), 10% middle eastern/asian (pakistani, israeli, lebanese), 10% french and belgian chocolate, 10% Italian, 2% Chinese (preferably noodles and dim sum), 2% sushi.
If there was an extra 10 %, it would include ice cream, french fries, and sandwiches. I love a good sandwich.
Again, I digress.
Movies seen, only one "the Departed". I loved it. Recognizing Martin Scorsese's poetic violence is not for the faint at heart, I only recommend it to those readers with a stomach for mob violence. Graphic mob violence. Very graphic violence. It was not a perfect movie (as were the Godfathers) but was compelling and had good twists and was about the furthest thing from Dora the Explorer I can currently imagine.
Work I've done - being a consultant is a very different sort of beast. It takes what I liked about my work with the Council and distills it. I'm under tight deadlines (which I like) and the end of the day is based on what I accomplish (which I really like) but it can make for a cranky mommy during crunch times. ("Mommy, why are you yelling????")
The pearl business. Many of you know I am in the incubation stage of a new business - importing and selling freshwater pearls on behalf of worthy causes. I love the pearl side, and I really LOVE highlighting good charities. It is time to build a website and make online sales available, but I hesitate! Online sales are scary to me! Will I do it? Stay tuned.
The girls - We are settled into the school routine. Evie actually looks forward to seeing Mrs. Huggins. Juliette still loves school and her teachers and classmates. I love that they love school and like to help out at school when I can.
So, that is what is up with me. Next up, another pearl sale (fingers crossed that it will be a good one!) and Rory Stewart, the Prince of the Marshes.
We'll go back to cute stories about the girls in the next post.
Books read recently - In the middle of "Heat" by Bill Buford. Loving it. Finished "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. While, I liked Namesake, it made me starving for Indian food. Thus, a trip to Indian buffet was made last weekend. We will also be going to Indian buffet next week. I am convinced that my version of food in heaven will include the following ethnic breakdowns - 56% Indian, 10% Mexican (emphasis Oaxacan), 10% middle eastern/asian (pakistani, israeli, lebanese), 10% french and belgian chocolate, 10% Italian, 2% Chinese (preferably noodles and dim sum), 2% sushi.
If there was an extra 10 %, it would include ice cream, french fries, and sandwiches. I love a good sandwich.
Again, I digress.
Movies seen, only one "the Departed". I loved it. Recognizing Martin Scorsese's poetic violence is not for the faint at heart, I only recommend it to those readers with a stomach for mob violence. Graphic mob violence. Very graphic violence. It was not a perfect movie (as were the Godfathers) but was compelling and had good twists and was about the furthest thing from Dora the Explorer I can currently imagine.
Work I've done - being a consultant is a very different sort of beast. It takes what I liked about my work with the Council and distills it. I'm under tight deadlines (which I like) and the end of the day is based on what I accomplish (which I really like) but it can make for a cranky mommy during crunch times. ("Mommy, why are you yelling????")
The pearl business. Many of you know I am in the incubation stage of a new business - importing and selling freshwater pearls on behalf of worthy causes. I love the pearl side, and I really LOVE highlighting good charities. It is time to build a website and make online sales available, but I hesitate! Online sales are scary to me! Will I do it? Stay tuned.
The girls - We are settled into the school routine. Evie actually looks forward to seeing Mrs. Huggins. Juliette still loves school and her teachers and classmates. I love that they love school and like to help out at school when I can.
So, that is what is up with me. Next up, another pearl sale (fingers crossed that it will be a good one!) and Rory Stewart, the Prince of the Marshes.
We'll go back to cute stories about the girls in the next post.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
I'm Sorry (I'm Sorry), So Sorry (So Sorry), Please Accept My Apology
For all of you under sixty, the above are the lyrics to a Brenda Lee song from the 50's. It should be Evie's theme song.
I believe we have mentioned Evie's penchant for mischief. She loves nothing more than to walk up to her sister, grab baby panda away and watch the sparks fly. There is not a malicious bone in her body, but she does love cause and effect like no one else.
She spends a fair amount of time in time out. More than a fair amount of time.
But time out doesn't end the Manise Inmate Regentrification Program for Time Out Participants (MIRPTOPC). The next step is the offender must apologize for whatever infraction, and the wronged must forgive. Finally, there must be a hug. The hug gives Evie a chance to tackle Juliette all over again.
Evie has to apologize all the time. All the time!
Consequently, sorry is her new favorite word. If you take something away from her, she says sorry, if you bump into her, she says sorry. If she brushes past you in the hall, she says sorry.
It is more than a little embarassing in public. I feel like I need to wait this one out. I never thought I would long for the "no mama, go away!" days again.
I believe we have mentioned Evie's penchant for mischief. She loves nothing more than to walk up to her sister, grab baby panda away and watch the sparks fly. There is not a malicious bone in her body, but she does love cause and effect like no one else.
She spends a fair amount of time in time out. More than a fair amount of time.
But time out doesn't end the Manise Inmate Regentrification Program for Time Out Participants (MIRPTOPC). The next step is the offender must apologize for whatever infraction, and the wronged must forgive. Finally, there must be a hug. The hug gives Evie a chance to tackle Juliette all over again.
Evie has to apologize all the time. All the time!
Consequently, sorry is her new favorite word. If you take something away from her, she says sorry, if you bump into her, she says sorry. If she brushes past you in the hall, she says sorry.
It is more than a little embarassing in public. I feel like I need to wait this one out. I never thought I would long for the "no mama, go away!" days again.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Humbled
We forget we are parents of Chinese girls. The girls are just the girls and most days it never occurs to us they came to be apart of our family in a non-traditional manner. Certainly in Northern Virginia, there are so many non-traditional families we blend in wherever we go.
So, we found ourselves in a funny situation a few weeks ago. Many of you know I pursue culinary excellence in an Indiana Jones-like manner. Yes, I use the Post Dining Guide, The Washingtonian, and Zagat rigorously to hunt down restaurants, but I trend toward the unpolished gems in those resources, versus a Citronelle or Maestro. This devotion led us to a new (to us) Chinese restaurant in Alexandria.
On the food side, it was some of the most authentic Chinese food we've found in the DC area. We love A&J for dim sum and love the higher end Chinese fare that is popular for hosting Presidents
diplomats but the solid tastes of Beijing at bargain prices have eluded us until this restaurant.
The food was evenly wonderful, some of the dishes were even great. We were only sad there weren't more of us eating to justify tasting more dishes, we will definitely return to this place - with more people!
Now, the humbling part. The restaurant is small, with maybe only about 10 or twelve tables. At least six of them were large round tables to eat in a group of 10- which is also very traditionally Chinese. We got there around 6 pm and got a smaller table right away.
Right after we arrived, a bus pulled up and the restaurant's larger tables filled with visitors from China. At this point, we were one of two tables of diners were not Chinese natives. This attracted some attention, and the visitors from the tour bus realized we weren't Chinese but the girls were.
Then the toasting started, and the thank you's, and the pictures. We feel so blessed by the girls being ours, we returned thank you's.
I couldn't help but wonder if I were in China and ran across kids from the U.S. who had been adopted by Chinese families if I would have had the same wonderful response. Bruce and I were incredibly blessed by the experience and their warmth to us. It was humbling to be thanked for something we feel we have benefited so much from!
We said goodbye, then we drove off and once again became the typical anonymous Northern Virginia family.
So, we found ourselves in a funny situation a few weeks ago. Many of you know I pursue culinary excellence in an Indiana Jones-like manner. Yes, I use the Post Dining Guide, The Washingtonian, and Zagat rigorously to hunt down restaurants, but I trend toward the unpolished gems in those resources, versus a Citronelle or Maestro. This devotion led us to a new (to us) Chinese restaurant in Alexandria.
On the food side, it was some of the most authentic Chinese food we've found in the DC area. We love A&J for dim sum and love the higher end Chinese fare that is popular for hosting Presidents
diplomats but the solid tastes of Beijing at bargain prices have eluded us until this restaurant.
The food was evenly wonderful, some of the dishes were even great. We were only sad there weren't more of us eating to justify tasting more dishes, we will definitely return to this place - with more people!
Now, the humbling part. The restaurant is small, with maybe only about 10 or twelve tables. At least six of them were large round tables to eat in a group of 10- which is also very traditionally Chinese. We got there around 6 pm and got a smaller table right away.
Right after we arrived, a bus pulled up and the restaurant's larger tables filled with visitors from China. At this point, we were one of two tables of diners were not Chinese natives. This attracted some attention, and the visitors from the tour bus realized we weren't Chinese but the girls were.
Then the toasting started, and the thank you's, and the pictures. We feel so blessed by the girls being ours, we returned thank you's.
I couldn't help but wonder if I were in China and ran across kids from the U.S. who had been adopted by Chinese families if I would have had the same wonderful response. Bruce and I were incredibly blessed by the experience and their warmth to us. It was humbling to be thanked for something we feel we have benefited so much from!
We said goodbye, then we drove off and once again became the typical anonymous Northern Virginia family.
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