Lazy morning

It was a deliciously lazy Saturday morning in the Hall household. Both babies slept in until 7 am (and slept through the night!). We spent the morning in bed talking and playing before starting our day. We went grocery shopping for the week, got all my laundry done, the house cleaned and a big pot of spaghetti bolognese is stewing on the stove. Both babes are napping and I actually have time to myself without any chores to do. Life feels more manageable than it has in weeks and weeks!

Nana shots at breakfast

Could those eyes be any bigger?



Happy little chappy who has been sleeping through the night and it shows

Sweet little cherub who is easygoing and happy 99.9% of the time, if not more

It takes a village

This is what the week looked like. Papa and his motorcycle, dressing gowns at 5pm, and helmets to shield what may come at us.

We didn't need the helmet, luckily, because despite all that is going on behind the scenes, things are good on the home front. Mostly because Nana has moved in and as Finn put it tonight on our way to bed, I no like you. I only like Nana, Naaanaaa! Come!

Another mother might be hurt by such words, but this mother sees the absolute necessity of another parent in the picture and takes this opportunity to give her boy a kiss, tell him he is still loved even if he doesn't like me, and enjoy the first five minutes I have haven't had to think of others first all day.

I am getting used to this whole Nick leaves and Nana moves in gig. What's going to happen when life isn't so crazy? Will Nana still move in with me when Nick goes out of town? Because even though I know I can do it on my own, I don't know if I want to. There is a reason we used to live in villages.

What a dog.

Inca has grown into the best family dog we could have imagined. She puts up with Finn's torture with an occassional growl and adores Poppie. She is good with the chickens and a dream with all other dogs except for the ones that compete with her in our neighborhood.

The other day at the park, Poppie and I were sitting in the grass while Finn played and he begged me to help him swing on the monkey-handle bars, which meant I would have to hold him up against my body and couldn't wear Poppie. Poppie was happy in the grass and Inca was laying protectively close, so I ran ten steps away to play with Finn for a minute and snapped this shot on my way back to them.

Also, on that same day we were walking (around Greenlake) and Finn wanted to run up on the grass bank while I couldn't go there with the stroller. He was allowed to run on the bank parallel to us as long as he didn't get too far away. And when he did, Inca stopped and wouldn't take another step in any direction but towards him.

And later, when Finn was in his stroller and Inca was walking alongside, he turned to her and said, I love you Inca and she responded with a mid-stride lick on his cheek. Aww.

Picture perfect

This past weekend was picture-perfect. Beautiful sunny skies, the first signs of spring and daffodils everywhere. Perfect for taking cute pictures of my adorable children, right? Wrong. I couldn't get both children to look at me at the same time to save my life. Despite being silly and doing goofy things. Then they wouldn't hold still. Then, Finn took his shoes off and ran away, far to the point that even Inca starting whining to go after him. 

Could have been cute, huh? I guess that's what professionals are for (ahem, Mr Hall, where are you when I need you?)

Little mouse!

I have been singing Poppie a song by Elizabeth Mitchell (originally Woody Guthrie) called Little Sack of Sugar and Poppie absolutely LOVES it:

Jiggle Jiggle Jiggle

Tickle Tickle Tickle

Little Sack of Sugar

I could eat you up!

Hey, hey, hey, my little sack of sugar,

Ho, ho, ho, my little sack of sweet.

Hee, hee, hee, my pretty little angel,
So pretty, pretty, pretty, I could eat your feet.

Hey, hey, hey, my little honey bunny,
Ho, ho, ho, my little turtle dove,
Hee, hee, hee, my little sack of 'taters,
So pretty, pretty, pretty, I could eat your toes.

...and on it goes.

This picture will remind me of that song forever because I was singing it to her when I took it.


PS Did you know singing to your child is better for development than them simply listening to music? This article explains why. Neither Nick nor I can carrying a tune very well, but we are always singing stories and silly ditties to our kids.

Safe with the sealions

I am dying to know more details, but it sounds like all is well for Nick down in Chile...

Hi Baby,


Sorry I am only just getting back to you now. I am obviously fine, so not to worry. I only heard about the earthquake myself this morning as I was jumping in a boat to go diving with fishermen.

The highlight of today so far was diving with over two hundred sealions!! Quite a remarkable experience. They are playful and curious like dogs and just as two hundred dogs would intimidating so too were these sealions. They would come swimming past me and then stop to peer at me, unbelievable. The only two problems with experience was, firstly the huge amounts of sealion poop that you end up swimming amongst. You can smell it as you near them on the boat but once you are in the water and diving in it is become much more pungent (think ear, nose and throat). Secondly, we spotted a pod of orcas heading to the seal colony on out way there so once we were in the water we had to be quick save getting caught up in a feeding frenzy. The orcas were on their way to eat sealions!
 
Just a little snippet of his email, sounds like life is adventurous for him down there!
 
So happy he's safe
 
xx

Nick in Chile

Nick called us from the Santiago airport this weekend and sent us a few emails describing how much he loves Chile. Which thrills me because I harbor not-so-secret hopes of spending a year sabbatical in southern South America and now it looks like he is as motivated, if not more than me to make it happen.

The only downside to that part of the world is their earthquakes. I was in one when I was last down there and I almost thought to say something about an earthquake to him before he left, but forgot. And then last night I got the news that they had a 7.1 quake just north of where is staying. He sent me an email earlier in the day before the quake describing his beautiful accomodations on the edge of a river where it meets the sea, which sounded ideal at the time, but the worst possible place to be in a post-quake tsunami. Needless to say, I was worried sick until I read the news and saw that the worst reports of human damage came from a church ceiling falling on parishioners and the liklihood that my husband was in a church at 7 pm at night is almost nil.

However, I haven't heard from him yet, which means that they were evacuated to some place with no connectivity or cell service, or that he is so remote, the local people around him shrugged and quickly went on with life and he did the same, not knowing the the quake made international news.

My intuition tells me everything is just fine, but I will keep everyone updated.

Onna jetplane

Daddy's Plane sent by Daddy before he left

Daddy go to Chil-lee on two jetplane, Finn says this morning when he sees Nick's bags. We have no idea when plane turned into jetplane, but it's cute and a certain song pops in my head every time he says it.

Daddy go to Chil-lee to get me a present, a big prize, he whispers to me, conspiratorially. Like a DIGGAH, he exclaims loudly to Nick.

Does Poppie get a prize too, I ask.

Yes, Poppie gets a little prize because she is litte. I get a big one. Which is reasonable and fair, two traits Finn is currently mastering during his good moments.

Daddy, I go too-ah?

When you're bigger, darling. You can come with Daddy when you're big. But on this trip, you have to stay with mummy and take care of her and Poppie, Nick the ever-practical and loving father says.

Oh. Mommy no go jetplane. We stay here. Daddy go to Chil-lee. 'Dis him go. 'Dis Daddy go.

***

Finn wasn't going to miss the chance to go to the airport, no way. He put his shoes and jacket on without a fuss and waited patiently with a hand on my knee while we sat on the deck waiting for Nick to finish packing and loading his equipment.


He pointed out all the planes on the way there and talked about how high they fly. He was brave when Daddy left and send him off with one of his best kisses a very loving hug.
 
***
 
We were telling Grandma a story the other night about the last time we traveled on an airplane with Finn. It was on our way home from Kauai and it was a packed plane. The plane was taxiing on its way to take off and it was that hushed moment after the safety message had been delivered, when everyone is preparing for take off.
 
Ever gregarious Finn starts a running dialogue about what was happening, starting with the plane going faster and faster and faster and then up up up up up high high high and then, and then down, down, down, crash!, crash!, crash!, ohhh-nooo! into the water.
 
People got nervous. Heck, we got nervous. Nick looks over Finn's head and  mouths should we be worried? And the people beside us folded their hands nervously into their laps. Kids know things. Especially articulate ones barely over two.
 
Finn, is the plane going to crash? Nick asks.
 
Noooo, Daddy, sill-lee. Plane go up, up, up high inna clouds.
 
And that was that. The neighbors unfolded their hands and grabbed their magazines and Finn turned from a little psychic into that two year old you don't want to sit next to on the plane.
 
***
 
We are all going to miss Nick this trip. He promises to send little snippets and images of his trip for Finn, and I will post them here.

Magic

Finn has been delightfully attached to Daddy lately. Daddy is the coveted parent, the one he wants to see first and last thing and the parent he calls to at night. Unfortunately, Daddy is also incredibly booked for the next few months and we can anticipate at least half of each month he will be away on assignment.

Nick departs for a two week assignment in Chile today. Unfortunately, this corresponds with the final two weeks of due diligence and negotiations at Snopac and I expect my workload to increase beyond what it currently is and I am not sure how much room is left of me. As long as I don't get sick and Finn doesn't pull night upon night of all-nighters, I think we will survive. I keep telling myself this is all temporary, all the hard work I am putting in now, means I have more freedom in the future, but sometimes I feel like I am drowning in it all.

One thing has become abundantly clear and that is I have no desire to be a business executive mother. Not at least while my children are young. Perhaps if Nick's career was more stationary and less travel-heavy, I would feel different, but trying to raise children alone with the stress of a business to run pushes me beyond the comfort of sanity. I can handle the thought of a 9 to 5 (or even 8 to 6) if it meant that I could leave my business at work at the end of the day and focus on my children.

I have huge admiration for women who are in my shoes and ambitiously master both, but at this stage in my life I will be quite happy as executive mother pleaseandthankyouverymuch. Or, I could see myself as executive business manager of Nick Hall Photography and take the occassional trip to Chile or Micronesia or Bhutan, just to make sure that the client relations are going smoothly. I dream.

And I also dream of the not-so-distant future when I will have my weekends back and more mental space for my children. When I will be spotaneously playful with them instead of reminding myself to be more playful. When there will be more yesses than nos, more come heres than here's nanny.

It's not too far off now.

Look of love

Darling Poppie looking at Grandma read a story to Finn. She can't wait to be big and get stories read to her!

Poppie meets Georgie

Yesterday we met sweet little Georgia Fogg for the first time! It was also the first time that Poppie had been around a baby smaller than her. She was fascinated. Poppie goo-ed and gaa-ed at Georgie and tried to eat her little feet and then stared at the matching dots of Georgie's outfit and the bouncing seat.

Georgie thought Poppie was so-so, but she thought Finn was the cat's meow and he got the most smiles and wide-eyed stares. 

When there are no no's

We went for a walk at Seward Park with the Uncles, dogs and Auntie Casi this weekend. It was a no no's walk for Finn. Which meant running through mud puddles at full speed was a yes! And falling down into them and pretending he was a fish was a yes! And getting wet from head to foot was a yes! And at the end of it all, getting wrapped up in Mommy's warm coat like a robe was a yes!

Grandma and Poppie

Today is Grandma's last day. This evening she gets on an airplane to go back to England. The children have been so loved and gotten such a wonderful dose of individual attention I am worried about them once she leaves.

The memories they have saved will continue to add to the book of Grandma and we all can't wait to see her again soon!

Grandma and Finn

It has been wonderful to have Grandma here for the past two weeks. We are really going to miss her.

teeth!

Poppie was gnawing on my finger last night when I got home from work and I felt a rough little patch. Two little teeth on the bottom are just poking through! The better to chew Finn's digger with...

Our little string bean

Poppie and I went to the doctor for her well-baby check up yesterday. Little Popps weighs 15 lbs 6 ozs and is 28" long. Which puts her in the 15th percentile for weight and off the charts for height (much like her brother, although he had a little more heft to him).

Sweet little Popps has just entered the stranger anxiety phase, which is new to us because Finn had zero stranger anxiety, ever. She cried when the doctor came in the room and also cried when a colleague of Nick's walked into the house today. Poor little thing, growing up is hard!

When not suffering from stranger anxiety, she is a little firecracker of fun and love. She's developing a real strong little personality, but is also really soft, sweet and mellow. She has Daddy wrapped around her little pinky, but is not a spoiled-type and has enough tomboy in her to keep her from getting too princess-spoilt.

In case it isn't clear, we are absolutely smitten with our little kitten and feel so blessed for these two amazing little beings that we get to parent and love.

Nick



Me holding my babies at Alki Beach on Sunday. Those little faces take my breath away with the depth of love I have for them



On the heels of some deep conversations about the direction his career is going and what he wants to make of it, Nick showed me this picture last night and said, 'see, it's easy to take great photos, all you need is a camera and some sun'. And that is why his is successful. He has more talent in his little pinky than most of us do on our best creative days. He takes shots like this and thinks it's easy, whereas most of us would be pleased to get a shot like this once in lifetime.

Nick is overflowing with talent at the moment. His creative ideas are absolutely brimming and he is executing projects left and right. It is really inspiring to live with someone who loves what he does and the creativity that flows through our house is contagious. Even Finn is building elaborate systems out of playdough for his diggers to navigate.



A shot Nick took on Monday on the Olympic Peninsula as part of a big project his is currently working on




This boy's ready to work!

Thanks to a REAL toolkit that Grandma bought him! When is Uncle David coming to visit?

Happy half, little dumpling!

6 months old today!