Stella got her first taste of real food. She was truly horrified.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
we've got a dancer on our hands
Stella in her jumper is a new source of entertainment for us. It so funny to watch her go. I don't know quite why it is so funny but it really is.
So here's a quick clip. Of course I am so proud, notice how she really gets going right when the music picks up... she may not look like me yet, but I think she might have my rhythm...
So here's a quick clip. Of course I am so proud, notice how she really gets going right when the music picks up... she may not look like me yet, but I think she might have my rhythm...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
comments
FYI, we changed the settings, so you no longer have to sign in to leave a comment. Woo hoo!
Monday, October 13, 2008
baby loves polka
We went to dinner the other night at the Bavarian Grill, one of our favorite spots for German food. They always have live music, Stella Rose was absolutely fascinated. 
The new thing for her now is her jumper. She loves it and I swear she dances if you put music on. I put on a Czech polka for her, she loved it. Here's a bit of video - she gets a little distracted by the camera in the beginning.
Bernice, this one's for you...
The new thing for her now is her jumper. She loves it and I swear she dances if you put music on. I put on a Czech polka for her, she loved it. Here's a bit of video - she gets a little distracted by the camera in the beginning. Bernice, this one's for you...
seven and ten years
Today is our dual anniversary. After we were married, we realized that we had (completely unintentionally) gotten married exactly three years after our first date. Since there was no first date ceremony (no starting gun was fired, no one yelled "go!") and we had been friends before dating, we had to retrospectively decide which was our first date. We agreed it had been the night Stephen had ordered in seafood. The occasion was made memorable by the fact that he had bounced a check to pay for it, so it stood out in his mind.
So one day in the first year of our marriage, we came across an old checkbook of his. We were laughing at the fact that he used to pay like $100 in rent (having six roommates), and we came across that check that had bounced. The date was October 13, the same day we picked for our wedding.
So in honor of our anniversary, here are seven things, big and small, that I love about Stephen:
4. He is so generous. Seriously, this is a man who loves to give gifts. I sometimes have to talk him out of giving extravagant gifts to people. If we could, he would take everyone in our family to Italy or Hawaii. Or both. He really thinks about the gifts he gives. He commissioned a painting for me on the one year anniversary of our first date. Had the restaurant hang it on the wall and everything. He pays attention all year long, gathering ideas, then spoils me rotten at Christmas. When Stella was born, he surprised me in the recovery room with a pink sapphire and diamond ring. For Stella, he said, when she's grown up. You wear it for her until then. Kiddo can have it when she gets her PhD. But he's not only generous with gifts, he also has a generosity of spirit that is truly uncommon. He knows what it is and what it takes to have relationships with people, even when it is difficult. He is welcoming to our guests and always willing to help people.
5. He is an amazing father. Have you seen our baby? She adores him. Laughs out loud when he comes in the room. I love him more every time I see our daughter look at him with such joy.
6. He's got his own style. In Italy last fall, we came across a store that was full of orange sweaters. It was like he had found the mothership. I love that he is not afraid of color. When we first got together he had probably 45 blue plaid shirts. He's come a long way...
7. He makes me so very happy. He indulges my crazy ideas, even when they are half-baked and half-finished. He's a good sport. He's incredibly insightful about people. He built an incredible business and I know there will be much more ahead. He has good instincts, good ideas and good intentions. I am so proud to be his wife.
So one day in the first year of our marriage, we came across an old checkbook of his. We were laughing at the fact that he used to pay like $100 in rent (having six roommates), and we came across that check that had bounced. The date was October 13, the same day we picked for our wedding.
So in honor of our anniversary, here are seven things, big and small, that I love about Stephen:
1. His cooking. He makes the best Italian food you ever had. I had to marry him before he would let me in on his spaghetti sauce recipe.
2. His sense of humor. He can crack me up like no one else. And luckily, he is not afraid to laugh at himself too, or let me laugh at him (vs. with him) on occasion.
"We won't be able to get online in Prague, everything will be in Czech!"
And he's always a nice about it when he laughs at (vs. with) me.
3. His smooth moves. He is so good at surprises that you would never expect. On one of our earliest dates, he pretended not to know where to go, making me sweat over what place to pick for my birthday dinner. He pretended to drive to a random restaurant, but when we entered it was "Hello Mr. Mandala, let me show you to your table..." In college we called him Sneak Attack Steve because he would come out of nowhere and kiss me, regardless of who I was dating at the time. He really knows how to make a person feel like the center of the world. He is so good at surprises and romantic gestures, that there is one unintended downside. Whenever there is a change of plans, there is a small part of me that thinks "ooh! maybe this is a surprise!" But then again, how many people get to feel that in their day?Me: "The batteries on my car clicker must have gone out because it wouldn't work. I didn't know what to do - I left my list in the store. Luckily I had my cell phone, so I called the store and explained that I was outside but unable to leave my car since I can't leave it unlocked, so could they please bring my list outside to me?"
Stephen: "?!"
4. He is so generous. Seriously, this is a man who loves to give gifts. I sometimes have to talk him out of giving extravagant gifts to people. If we could, he would take everyone in our family to Italy or Hawaii. Or both. He really thinks about the gifts he gives. He commissioned a painting for me on the one year anniversary of our first date. Had the restaurant hang it on the wall and everything. He pays attention all year long, gathering ideas, then spoils me rotten at Christmas. When Stella was born, he surprised me in the recovery room with a pink sapphire and diamond ring. For Stella, he said, when she's grown up. You wear it for her until then. Kiddo can have it when she gets her PhD. But he's not only generous with gifts, he also has a generosity of spirit that is truly uncommon. He knows what it is and what it takes to have relationships with people, even when it is difficult. He is welcoming to our guests and always willing to help people.
5. He is an amazing father. Have you seen our baby? She adores him. Laughs out loud when he comes in the room. I love him more every time I see our daughter look at him with such joy.
6. He's got his own style. In Italy last fall, we came across a store that was full of orange sweaters. It was like he had found the mothership. I love that he is not afraid of color. When we first got together he had probably 45 blue plaid shirts. He's come a long way...
7. He makes me so very happy. He indulges my crazy ideas, even when they are half-baked and half-finished. He's a good sport. He's incredibly insightful about people. He built an incredible business and I know there will be much more ahead. He has good instincts, good ideas and good intentions. I am so proud to be his wife.
Monday, October 6, 2008
fall again
So the weather is cooling off nicely, it is actually lovely to be outside. The patio is coming along really well, the next step is to finalize the fountain. So far so good and the timing couldn't be better.
We fell off the wagon, push-up wise, last week, so we are going to have to repeat week 2. Time is completely different these days. Luckily the bambina goes to sleep around 8 or 8:30, so in theory, we have the rest of the evening to ourselves. Too bad we are so exhausted!
We went to our first kid birthday party as parents Saturday. Our godchild welcomed her third birthday, monkey style. We had fun. My friend Rose actually made a cake in the three-dimensional shape of a monkey head - I am in awe.
Sunday we went to the Cottonwood Arts Festival, it is one of our favorites. I like it because it is juried, so you don't have booths selling water filtration devices and stuff like that. It's in a park, lots of shade and they have the best kids activities. I always want to do them myself. I mean they had pottery wheels and everything!
Lucky for us Stella really digs her ride, she enjoys looking at the people, trees, dogs and kids.
I'm becoming such a cliche... of course I make it down about one aisle of the festival and I'm already thinking about how I really should enter this festival next year... I'd have to find the time, which might not be too hard since I paint very quickly, but I would probably have to switch mediums. Oil paints are highly toxic and I wouldn't feel very good about getting them out with a baby in the house. Maybe acrylics? I've never used them before, I just love oils, love the smell and feel and translucency of them, but may be worth exploring. If I could only set a deadline for myself I might actually do something this year... I'm encouraged by the fact that my work (when I do any) does tend to sell well. So nothing but my own self holding me back... and that whole time management thing. As much as I would enjoy doing something like that, I have been really struggling with this new sensation of always having too much to do. This shouldn't be a surprise, I have almost always done too much. When I was a teenager my stepmom gave me a book called "Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much" - I guess I started early. I think of all these projects to start, then all the things I would like to do with and for my daughter, then more and more and more until I find myself in the store with Stella sleeping in the carseat at 9 pm and I'm like, seriously, how important is it really that I finish making this mirror for the nursery? So important that I should drag my daughter all around town when she clearly needs to be in bed? And then I take a step back, but slowly things pop up again. I need the energy of new ideas. It's what keeps me going. Just have to figure out a way to not let it wear me down.
My current projects are that mirror (and I think I finally found the right thing to do to finish it), a duvet cover and bedskirt that I am making, and Stella's Halloween costume (which I am so excited for, not telling yet). Trying to do just one at a time. Duvet is halfway done so I will wrap that up before I start on her costume... we may all three of us dress up as the same thing this year - how would that be for the xmas card?
We fell off the wagon, push-up wise, last week, so we are going to have to repeat week 2. Time is completely different these days. Luckily the bambina goes to sleep around 8 or 8:30, so in theory, we have the rest of the evening to ourselves. Too bad we are so exhausted!
We went to our first kid birthday party as parents Saturday. Our godchild welcomed her third birthday, monkey style. We had fun. My friend Rose actually made a cake in the three-dimensional shape of a monkey head - I am in awe.
Sunday we went to the Cottonwood Arts Festival, it is one of our favorites. I like it because it is juried, so you don't have booths selling water filtration devices and stuff like that. It's in a park, lots of shade and they have the best kids activities. I always want to do them myself. I mean they had pottery wheels and everything!
Lucky for us Stella really digs her ride, she enjoys looking at the people, trees, dogs and kids.
I'm becoming such a cliche... of course I make it down about one aisle of the festival and I'm already thinking about how I really should enter this festival next year... I'd have to find the time, which might not be too hard since I paint very quickly, but I would probably have to switch mediums. Oil paints are highly toxic and I wouldn't feel very good about getting them out with a baby in the house. Maybe acrylics? I've never used them before, I just love oils, love the smell and feel and translucency of them, but may be worth exploring. If I could only set a deadline for myself I might actually do something this year... I'm encouraged by the fact that my work (when I do any) does tend to sell well. So nothing but my own self holding me back... and that whole time management thing. As much as I would enjoy doing something like that, I have been really struggling with this new sensation of always having too much to do. This shouldn't be a surprise, I have almost always done too much. When I was a teenager my stepmom gave me a book called "Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much" - I guess I started early. I think of all these projects to start, then all the things I would like to do with and for my daughter, then more and more and more until I find myself in the store with Stella sleeping in the carseat at 9 pm and I'm like, seriously, how important is it really that I finish making this mirror for the nursery? So important that I should drag my daughter all around town when she clearly needs to be in bed? And then I take a step back, but slowly things pop up again. I need the energy of new ideas. It's what keeps me going. Just have to figure out a way to not let it wear me down.
My current projects are that mirror (and I think I finally found the right thing to do to finish it), a duvet cover and bedskirt that I am making, and Stella's Halloween costume (which I am so excited for, not telling yet). Trying to do just one at a time. Duvet is halfway done so I will wrap that up before I start on her costume... we may all three of us dress up as the same thing this year - how would that be for the xmas card?
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