Skipping Town

Dear Little Miss, A year and a half--and determined to surmount any challenges of your young age so you can keep up with the rest of us. You are nonstop mischief, climbing, opening, spilling, reaching, grabbing, markering. Nothing is safe now that you can reach up to the countertops in the kitchen, and you know how to open drawers and cupboards. Your mission in life is to climb up and down stairs. Up, you're pretty good. Down--you have a lot of work to do. You have a sixth sense of when we accidentally leave the baby gate open--or latched, but without the extra security latch--and you're up a few steps before I even realize it. Hazards, hazards all around. You yourself require all my attention. Yet I also have your sister. Our days, these days, are more than a little chaotic. But oh, the cuteness. The cuteness! Your giggly, babbling, kissing, hugging cuteness. You have the biggest, toothiest smile, and you flash it at the silliest things: when we eat oatmeal together in the

It's garage sale season. Whoo-hoo! I know my excitement over this is incomprehensible so many people, including Andrew. But the thrill of the search--the unknown at the end of each driveway--the sparkle of promise laid out on blankets on front lawns all around town--Perhaps this is how some people feel when they anticipate the beginning of a sports season. Two weeks ago, I went to my inaugural garage sale and came away with three bulging black garbage bags full of--well, I had no idea, really, because I didn't look inside. I heard the woman say they contained her daughters' Barbie collection, and that she'd give me all of it for $5 total, and that was that. I stuffed them in my trunk and began the excavation on the front porch when I got home. And--it was a bust. I don't often say that; I don't often gamble so unwisely. My mystery purchases are usually rewarding, often amazing. But this time, even I had to admit it was a lot of junk. Much-loved junk, to be sur

It's been a long week. Andrew left for Mexico City on Monday morning, leaving the three of us facing a week by ourselves. Logically, I don't know why it makes so much difference when Andrew's away. Of course we all miss him, but logistically speaking, I have only a couple of hours per day by myself when I would have had his help. But those extra hours really do make a world of difference, because he's here for all the all-hands-on-deck stuff. Getting my contacts in in the mornings seems like an insurmountable challenge when I'm also trying to do all the kid-morning craziness. Forget about taking a shower. And bathtime and bedtime alone...Lots of women I know do bathtime/bedtime alone every single night. I'm spoiled, I guess, but four nights in a row is a killer. It didn't help that Lucia has been in a three-and-a-half-year-old tailspin the past couple of weeks, throwing an uncharacteristic number of screaming fits and just generally being edgy and unpredic

Dear Sweets, Three is fun. It's a testament to you that I'm saying that; after all, I hear so many things about three being a really difficult age. To be sure, we have our moments (this afternoon--yowza). But those moments are few and far between, and the rest of the time you are generally funny and fun. You really like to do things now--do art projects, go places. In response, I'm trying to step up the "structured" things we do each day, introducing new craft projects and outdoor activities. You've responded enthusiastically. So far we've made tissue-paper flowers, created salt-dough "cookies" decorated with elbow macaroni and star pastina, had a riotous bathtime with craft-foam egg cutouts, painted with water, made a cake out of dirt and decorated it with nature treasures. It's all fun for me, too. You have gotten very interested in clothes. You like to choose your outfits, and dress yourself (shirts are a work in progress); during Quie

Had a lovely Easter at home this year, just the four of us. I hurried outside when the girls woke up to hide Easter eggs, and then they came downstairs to find their Easter baskets. The Easter Bunny brought them light-up wands, regular wands, crowns, plush chicks, Cinderella Squinkies, cookie coasters, princess notepads, sparkly shoes, butterfly nets, cupcake pillows, big outdoor balls, and large Jellycat cats. They were very excited, and they had fun finding the eggs. Greta had to be prompted, but once we helped her spot an egg, she hurried over to it and put it in her basket. Lucia searched for eggs with an eagle eye. We were all a little horrified when a squirrel ran off with a plastic egg right in front of us and carried it all the way up a tree; several other plastic eggs had been bitten through. Good thing I hadn’t hidden the eggs the night before! We spent the morning playing outside, and later on Andrew and I made an Easter dinner: ham, scalloped potatoes, cornbread, and