Gramma's Ring

So, you might remember that both of my grandmas passed away last fall -- my Gramma Johnson in September and my Grandma Bickley just three weeks later in October. For no particular reason at all, I've been missing both of them quite a bit lately. No one is quite as excited to see you or hear about your day like your grandma. My Gramma J. for sure was always such a good listener and a source of unconditional encouragement. Of course, I miss her and all that encompassed who she was, but I also miss the way I felt when I was with her: important; cherished; adored. We all need to feel like we're at the top of someone's list every now and then, and my Gramma made me feel that way every time I saw her. My Grandma B. had a faith unlike anyone I've ever known. While she was alive, I didn't really understand her, and I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I didn't seek to know her or ask her about why she believed the things that she did. For reasons that are too lengthy for this particular post, the last few months have been extremely spiritually challenging for me. I have a lot of questions and a lot of anxiety that I just know she could've helped me work through. I think we could've really bonded over that conversation, and I'm genuinely sad that we will not ever have that opportunity (although she left her Bible full of handwritten notes and passages that I would love to read through someday).

When my Gramma J. died, she left me her emerald ring. I feel so blessed and honored to be entrusted with this treasure; certainly, it has great monetary value, but more importantly, it holds great sentimental value for all of us who loved her because it was one of her favorite and most worn pieces of jewelry. She designed it sometime in the 80's with a jeweler here in Portland who has become a family friend throughout the years. I have dozens of specific memories of my Gramma wearing her emerald ring, and I can vividly recall what it looked like on her individual hand. I have always admired it, but it was quite a few sizes too big for my finger and looked a bit awkward on my hand. I would've happily gazed at it in my jewelry box every day, but it most likely would not have ever left my bedroom. My mom, however -- true to her creative and generous nature -- offered to take me to the same jeweler who designed the ring in the first place and have it redesigned with all of its original elements to suit my hand and my taste. Fabulous. Just fabulous. Given our current stage of life, it would've been 15 or 20 years before we could've justified such an expense. It is by no means a necessity, but I'm so grateful to my parents for continuously treating me to the "un-necessities" of life -- they are never lost on me. The completed ring was delivered to me today, and just look at how beautiful it is:

I am thrilled with it. My mom is thrilled with it. And I really think my Gramma would be thrilled with it, too. I love that this gold and these jewels encircled her finger for nearly 30 years. It's beautiful and sparkly, and I get all girly and giddy looking at it dance around on my hand, but I just love that it was hers...and I hope someday that my grand-daughter will feel it encircling her finger and smile at its beauty and feel the same way.

Snapshots

For the last two months, we've had a heck of a time with Madelyn at bedtime. She's never been a great sleeper, necessarily, but she at least was always able to fall asleep on her own relatively quickly. Since Kurt was laid off and things went all topsy-turvy on her, however, she's been laying awake in her crib -- talking, singing, scolding her stuffed animals -- for up to two hours every night. I'm sure this is just her way of processing everything that's been going on around here; we certainly don't feel like we act stressed around her, but children are quite perceptive. We wind her down with dim lighting and stories and have removed everything potentially distracting from her crib, but the little rascal finds ways of MacGyver-ing toys in there! I'm not sure what transpired with these tutus before she finally fell asleep, but this is how we found her just before we went to bed.

Kurt ran the Shamrock Run 15k a week ago and did an awesome job. He beat the time he was hoping for like it took no effort at all even though I'm confident that it did. Maddie and I went down to cheer him on and enjoy a beautiful spring morning, and she was so confused. We knew where he was going to be at approximately what time, but we ended up standing in the same place for about 20 minutes before he eventually ran by. She kept asking me, "Mommy, where are all these people running?" I told her they were just running for the sake of running which only seemed to confuse her more (I share her confusion, actually, which might explain my sub-par answer; while I certainly admire runners and get a jog in every now and then, running is not at all my exercise of choice). Then, despite our looking, we didn't even see Kurt approaching us. He saw us and yelled our names as he ran by, so we yelled "Yay Daddy! Go Daddy!" and then it was done. You can understand why she would have difficulty understanding what all the fuss was about. Nevertheless, we all had a great time, and we're very proud of our runner-for-the-sake-of-running.

This photo (of Mimi and Maddie) was taken just yesterday at the opening of our local farmer's market. We LOVE our farmer's market and are so excited to once again get to visit it once a week. The one we frequent (at Esther Short Park in Vancouver) is just awesome. Tons of farmers, artists, street performers, and food carts right next to a gorgeous park with a huge playground and a water fountain -- a one-stop adventure for a Saturday morning. Yesterday, we met Mimi and Auntie Kari there and had a great time. We picked up some carrots and a few Pink Ladies and treated ourselves to a waffle. Delicious. So happy that spring is here. We joined a CSA this year, too, and get to pick up our first box this Tuesday afternoon, so we'll let you know how that goes. Happy Spring to each of you!

Monkeys and "Hippopopamuses"

Here are a couple of videos for you that show off two of our favorite sides of Madelyn's personality:

In choosing a "monkey" theme for her bedroom before she was born, we had no idea how accurately this animal would fit her personality. Madelyn is on the move all the time. She loves to run, jump, dance, skip, bounce, drum, tap, twirl, and wiggle. We try to keep her as active as possible because she will literally run laps around the living room (or just stay up talking and singing in her crib until 10:00) if we don't. We recently cleaned up the basement and put a rug down there and some of her louder, busier toys. It's been a life-saver for rainy, no-park days.

Madelyn has always loved the book But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton. Lately, however, she likes to "read" along with us, and oh my goodness, it is the cutest thing ever. I LOVE the way she says "hippopotamus." Some day, when she actually says it correctly, we will be so sad. Also, about 3/4 into the book, listen for her to excitedly exclaim "It's the same!!" This is her new favorite phrase, and she says it the same way every time. She loves to find things that are the same (color, shape, size, etc.) and she is amazingly observant.

Sparse Posting

In case you wonder where we are in the next few weeks, this is what's going on:

Mr. Mom and The Sugarmama

Nevertheless, we have managed to take a few photos:

Riding a pony at our local indoor playpark where we go at least once per week. Love NoPo, baby :)

Madelyn is obsessed (truly) with window clings. These ones are from Auntie Kari. So cute!

Not really sure what's going on here, but the monkey seems to be riveted.

Reading to her friends in her crib one afternoon.

Madelyn finally got to legitimately use her umbrella. Banner day!

The Unexpected

Not sure how I haven't fully learned this lesson yet, but don't ever--not out loud or even in your head--say that life feels pretty manageable. If you do, set a place at your table for Murphy and his blasted Law, and be prepared for him to overstay his welcome. Kurt was laid off from his job at adidas three weeks ago. We certainly didn't see that coming, which, really, is a blessing. So. We've joined 11% of our fellow Americans and are hunkering down, thinning out the budget, and hoping for another job to come soon. Kurt really enjoyed being a part of the adidas community, and I know he's missing the good folks there. (I really miss the feta basil salad dressing at the adidas cafeteria. I've tried to re-create it. It's just not the same.) He's sticking true to his character, however, and is very optimistic and confident that another opportunity will soon come his way that will somehow be better for him and our family in the long run. If nothing else, it is always valuable and refreshing to be reminded of just how little we need to live happily, contentedly, and joyfully (feta basil dressing or no feta basil dressing).

Madelyn is totally confused as to why Daddy is suddenly around so much; she asks him most mornings if he's going to work as if she just needs to get her bearings for the day. We're making the most of it, though. The three of us have snuggled extra long in the mornings and enjoyed sunny afternoon walks and made the grocery store a family adventure. Every now and then, Maddie will look at us and exclaim, "You guys are not leaving!"

The photo above was taken just as we were headed out the door for a walk on a gorgeous, sunny, early-spring day. Portland has enjoyed beautiful weather the last week or so, which has pleased everyone except poor Madelyn. She has begged for her own umbrella for several weeks now, and I finally relented last Tuesday and bought her that darling pint-sized purplicious umbrella. Of course, the sun came out that afternoon and stuck around for the rest of the week. Wah wah. Only a native Portlander would complain about the absence of rain :) She finally just started carrying it even though it was sunny, hence the photo above (the fur collar is actually mine off of one of my jackets, but she looks quite chic sporting it, hey?).

Empire State of Mind, Baby!

Major adventure in our house this past week: Kurt and I went on vacation for five days sin niña. He turned 30 on January 17, and for his birthday, I surprised him with a trip to New York City (where he has always wanted to visit) with our dear friends, Nick and Beth Dekker from Columbus, Ohio. We've only been away from Madelyn one night at a time for three nights over the last 2 1/2 years, and all three times, we were no more than 15 miles away from her. So New York City was a disproportionately large step! I was SO anxious leading up to our departure. Our parents were going to tag-team caring for Maddie, so I knew she was going to be just fine, but being that far away from your child just feels biologically wrong somehow. But, thank God, we all did just fine. It helped that Nick and Beth were in exactly the same boat, having left their son, Will, with Beth's parents for the first time. We have vacationed several times with Nick and Beth, so we fell right in step and thoroughly enjoyed pretending we were young newlyweds with no responsibilities again.

Here are a few pictures of our New York adventure. Sorry none of them include Madelyn! She had an adventure of her own, but "what goes on at Grandma's house stays at Grandma's house!"

Nick, Beth, Me, and Kurt in Central Park. We barely put our toes in the park because we ran out of time and, well, it was January, but if I ever go back to New York (when it's not below freezing), this is where I want to spend the bulk of my time. It's just amazing to me that this incomprehensibly huge piece of nature lies in the heart of one of the largest cities in the world. And it's kind of cool knowing that one of Kurt's ancestors (Fredrick Law Olmsted "Uncle Freddy") designed the whole thing. I don't know the exact statistics, but it sure felt like the entirety of Portland could fit inside Central Park. They have a zoo. And a castle. And three lakes and, like, a dozen playgrounds. I'm sure it's absolutely beautiful when everything is green and in bloom.

Hot chocolate with a house-made marshmallow at the City Bakery. Decadent. It was more like syrup than chocolaty milk. I'm pretty sure the marshmallow alone cost five bucks, but what the hey. "When in Rome," right?

DIM SUM!! Holy business, this was the craziest experience of the whole trip. We got a recommendation from some friends of Nick and Beth's who live in New York to hit this place for some authentic dim sum, and while I've never had dim sum before, if this wasn't authentic, I'm not sure I want to know what is. We had to take an escalator to get to the main dining room on the second floor which stretched on and on and on. We couldn't believe that such a large dining room exists in Manhattan. We hadn't even sat down in our chairs or taken off our coats when three or four ladies scuttled over to our table pushing carts full of unidentifiable yumminess. They kept asking us questions in Chinese and we just kept saying "I don't know, I don't know" over and over until finally we were like, "What the heck! Sure! We'll take this one and that one and another one of this one." Oh. My. Goodness. I really don't know what I ate, but it was amazing. We ate and ate until we literally had no room left, and the final bill came to a whopping $44 for the four of us. Best deal ever.

This was our collective favorite. Pretty AND delectable.


The "Highline" reclamation project in Chelsea. The neighborhood rallied to turn an abandoned elevated train bridge (that was scheduled to be torn down) into a peaceful boardwalk with benches and trees and grasses. You can enter the Highline from a number of spots on the street level, one of which is just outside the amazing Chelsea Marketplace (think organic fruits and veggies, specialty cheese and wine, nuts and chocolate, and delicious bakeries). If I had to live in New York, I think I'd want to live in Chelsea.

The drink menu at Ninth Street Espresso in the Chelsea Marketplace. Those seven drinks are all they offer. No substitutions, additions, or amendments. Period. It was fantastic espresso, but the baristas seemed to know it.

Katz' Delicatessen. The table in the photo above is the table where Meg Ryan "thoroughly enjoyed" her meal in the movie "When Harry Met Sally." The sign reads "Where Harry met Sally. Hope you have what she had!" Fabulous sandwiches and fries.

The BEST pickles I've ever had. Less vinegary and more cucumbery but still crunchy, cold, and delicious. I ate seven and could've kept on going if someone would hurry up and invent an interchangable stomach.

The gents at Mecca.

A toy soldier made entirely of jelly beans at FAO Schwartz.

Never imagined that a subway tunnel could be pretty, but that's exactly what this one was. The whole thing was mosaiced in these beautiful tiles to appear like layers of earth, and there were also Mother Goose rhymes (randomly) etched around the top.

The foyer of the New York Public Library.


We didn't actually go to the top of the Empire State Building because, well, everything in New York costs an arm and a leg and we only had so many arms and legs. But the lobby was pretty enough.

Grand Central Station.

Wall Street. Ohmygoshcold!


This is the historic church that was within a stone's throw of the World Trade Towers and miraculously survived the 9/11 disaster. It became the hub for taking care of all of the relief workers in those awful weeks and is now a sort-of museum of artifacts, stories, video footage, etc. It was quite sobering to stand where there was once so much sorrow and grief, but it was heart-warming, too, reading about how much love was poured out on strangers in the largest and smallest of ways (endless food, cots on which to sleep, and grief counselors but also foot massagers and musicians providing live classical music).

They've left all of the pews with the scuffs and gouges incurred by the firemen's boots as a tribute to their bravery and selflessness.

Super cute little farm-chic diner called Kitchenette just around the corner from where we stayed in Tribeca. Delicious breakfast with the best apple-turkey sausage ever.

Times Square, as if there was any confusion.




We took a tour of the NBC studios which was totally fun! When we got to the SNL stage, Michael Buble was rehearsing for his gig as the musical guest on SNL that week, and he totally hammed it up for us and serenaded us with a song.

Cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery (Are you detecting a theme yet? We pretty much ate our way through New York with a special emphasis on bakeries :) For any of you who might be familiar with SNL's "Chronic(What?!)les of Narnia," this is the bakery at which they "mack on cupcakes."

30 Rockefeller Plaza.

In front of the famous Rockefeller Center ice rink.

I have a small crush on Matt Lauer and also love the Today Show. We stopped by the studio on Thursday morning and even though it was sleeting, we stood outside the window and became the idiots in the background smiling and waving like dopes because they're on TV. It was worth the humiliation. Matt and Meredith were gone already, but we saw Anne Curry and Natalie Morales and then, a bit later, Kathy Lee Gifford.

Winter Days

We don't really do much in January, so I've been struggling the last couple of days not really knowing what to write about. But here's what I love about our little family: we all love being in our home with each other finding laughter and adventure in spontaneous moments.

Madelyn is at that age now where she loves to be tickled but then begs you to stop only to ask you to start again. Repeatedly. This same pattern also applies to playing chase and hiding in dark rooms and popping out at her.

Maddie wearing a BeeBee toga.


This book, Oh Baby The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss, is Maddie's hands-down favorite book right now. She totally gets the fun of rhyming words, and I think she really likes this book's small size and many tiny illustrations. "Oh Baby" goes everywhere with us--grocery stores, friends' houses, church, in the car, to the potty, etc. We often deliberately mess up the words when reading it to her and she will correct us--correctly--every time, which is saying a lot for a Dr. Seuss book! Hearing a 2 year old say "fizza-ma-wizza-ma-dill" is really quite great :)


Our beautiful daughter...