1. Sunset at Twin Peaks, 2. Srs Toddler Iz Srs, 3. Painted Ladies at Night, 4. The outside world, 5. 1958 Fender Stratocaster, 6. Cat stuck in a tree, 7. Extreme Tourism, 8. Day 54 - Outtakes, 9. "OH, HAI!", 10. Strongarm Sleep Tactics, 11. Posing with Catwoman, 12. Action Toddler!, 13. Legion of Honor, night, 14. Undead Graduates, 15. Water Lillies, 16. Looking up at Mama, 17. Stepping into Faery..., 18. View from the poetry room, 19. White crab, 20. Jamie's Birthday Dinner, 21. Spinning as the Temple burns, 22. Sunset Silhouette, 23. Posing with Mama, 24. Our very own Batman!, 25. Summit
She spent the first week of December excitedly pointing out the increasingly prevalent lights on houses in our neighborhood, and reminding us that “after Daddy’s birthday, we can put up the Christmas Tree!” When it was time to decorate the tree, we separated out some ornaments for her to hang and she provided directions for where other, more delicate ones should be placed. As boxes have arrived from online retailers or distant loved ones, she has alternately asked if or informed us that they are her presents. We’ve talked about the nutcracker on the mantle, how and where to hang the stockings, and anticipated the arrival of grandparents. We’ve even talked, some, about snow and how we might get to see some next Christmas. Since late November, she’s been singing the holiday songs her class learned for their pageant.
In short, she’s all kinds of excited, and so far none of it has to do with Santa Claus, which is just fine by me.
When I was 6 or 7, I had a pretty long conversation with my friends about whether Santa was real. Several of us insisted he was, but the discussion made me start wondering. When I finally realized, and believed, the truth that Santa is just another myth I was disappointed, relieved and confused. Relieved, because that meant the awesome presents “Santa” had been giving me had actually come from my parents, which was way more important to me than some random old man who didn’t know me. I was disappointed, and confused, because I didn’t understand what the point was in telling kids Santa is real, when he isn’t.
At no point did I feel like Christmas had lost its wonder, or magic, because Santa was just a story. The things that have always made me look forward to Christmas, and remember holidays past with warmth and joy, are the things that are tangible. The glow of a lit Christmas tree, a warm fire and the smell of burning logs, the heat of the kitchen and the smell of cookies in the oven, the taste of mulled cider, Christmas carols and holiday songs, enormous meals filled with seasonal dishes, time off from work and school, and all the time spent with family and friends.
I don’t want to lie to Amailah about Santa Claus. I don’t want to perpetuate the idea that she should be a good girl because some magical creature (Santa, Elf on the Shelf, whatever) is watching her and will withhold presents if she misbehaves. What kind of life lesson is that, and what happens when she learns those creatures aren’t real? She should learn to behave because it’s the right thing to be doing, and not because she’s essentially being bribed to do so.
And, ultimately, I want to give her a foundation for enjoying this season that’s going to last her well into adulthood. I want to teach her that wonder and magic exist all around us, every day, and that the holidays are about family (chosen as well as blood), generosity and joy, not a mythical fat old man and getting stuff.
I'm going to start with tonight's cocktail recipe, inspired by the Cobra on the right. Tonight was a great night in the Lauber household, for several reasons, and this drink is how I’m currently celebrating.
** The Roadster **
2 oz. smooth bourbon (Woodford Reserve, for example.)
1 oz. lemonade
Mix these two in a short cocktail glass, and fill the rest of the way with prosecco or champagne.
**********************
Some of you have heard the stories of Amailah's recent temper tantrums, but for those that haven't I'll give a quick summary. For the last several weeks, Amailah has had a very difficult time listening and has been throwing some monumental temper tantrums. It mostly seems to be directed at me, and we’ve got several theories about why that might be happening, and we’ve been trying several different things to help her change this behavior.
It would be a massive understatement to say that this has been an exhausting and frustrating couple of weeks. She will be, in turns, affectionate and sweet, and as she calls it, a “big big helper and listener”... then suddenly turn into an angry, out of control whirlwind of screaming toddler.
Now, don’t get me wrong - I’m well aware that this is exactly the sort of phase most toddlers go through, and we’ve been spared many of the crazy experiences I’ve heard about from other parents over the years. For the most part she’s an easy child, and I’m honestly not making complaints here. This is the job I signed up for, and I adore Amailah.
However, it’s been pretty difficult to have her behaving worse with me than with Jamie or Andan. Tonight was mostly just the two of us, and her behavior was very much improved. She had zero time-outs and gave me no grief about table manners or going to the potty. In fact, she kept her underpants dry all evening, and when bedtime rolled around she put up only mild resistance.
As for the toy cars, well, we had to make a short shopping trip on the way home. While we were in the drug store Amailah saw several toys she was immediately fascinated with. Wanting to do something nice for her, I told her she could pick one of the toys she’d said she wanted: a Barbie with fairy wings, or a toy car. Without hesitation, she picked the car. Initially, she wanted a lime green station wagon but when I picked up an electric blue dune buggy she thought that was much more awesome. I got the blue Cobra for myself, and after dinner we spent some time racing them across the kitchen floor, much to Fontir’s chagrin.
Yesterday was day ten of my 1object1year project. I've been having more fun than I expected, even on the days when it's been hard to contrive a shot to set up. I've been trying to restrict myself to using props that I already have, and being creative with things I might not otherwise think to use. So far successful, and sometimes frustrating, and I still find that there are several small things I'd like to buy to make this a little easier (fishing line, putty, a few more LEGO pieces, a few aquarium backgrounds...)
I'm going to hold out as long as I can, but I have a few complicated & possibly awesome sets planned. I might be pulling out my box of Fimo pretty soon - it's something I already own, and I can make anything I want with it...
25 Best of 2010, originally uploaded by meggle.
1. Planetary, 2. Mission Museum, 3. The sea's leavings, 4. Wilbur Springs sign, 5. Up to the roof, 6. Proof that Jme hasn't aged a day in 150 years!, 7. Surfer going down to the water, 8. Adorable kittens are adorable!, 9. Water Tower at Volunteer Park, 10. MSH 09/10 - Xenopus, 11. Gargoyle in ivy, 12. Strawberry Basil Gazpacho, 13. The first rule of Toddler Club..., 14. Tamron Zoom @300mm, 15. Mission Dolores - San Francisco, 16. Walk towards the light..., 17. St. Dominic's Catholic Church, 18. Golden Gate Bridge, 19. Shadow and light, 20. Surfer's bike, 21. Sunset over Santa Clara, 22. Christmas tree at night, 23. Country Cobbler, 24. Fireworks over downtown, 25. Beached boat
I finally finish the things that need to be done tonight, and I get myself settled on the couch with a graphic novel, frozen yogurt and some quiet music. As I get really into the story, as my ass becomes a comfortable, happy extension of the furniture, I slowly realize that what I'm hearing isn't actually part of the music I've got on. It's Amailah, awake and crying.
So I mute the speakers and take a moment to listen, to see if she's doing Serious Crying where parental intervention is the only road back to sleep, or if she's just Sorta Crying where she'll shortly put herself back to sleep. Sometimes it's hard to tell, and this is one of those nights, so I get up to quietly creep towards her door. Past experience tells me that if she hears a parent approaching, she'll stop for a moment and then begin Serious Crying if the parent doesn't appear in her room soon enough.
Right as I get to the hall, she goes quiet. I wait a minute or two more, just to make sure she isn't about to explode, but she stays quiet. So I turn around and walk back to the couch... to find one of the cats has stolen my spot.
You see, it was the basil that led to the gazpacho.
Kat and I were discussing what ingredients we'd need for her recipe for strawberry limeade and, remembering that cocktail, I suggested we add some basil. A store run and a few hours later, we’re looking down at a bowl of something we realized had much more potential. She’d suggested we use the immersion blender to liquify everything, saving time and labor, and it was our intention to top it off with soda water. We did that, and it was delicious, but it got our minds working on how to turn that puree into a summer soup that would stand on its own.
This recipe is the end result of our collaboration, and was a huge hit at dinner last night.
(We’re already thinking of more fruit gazpacho ideas. Stay tuned!)
Strawberry Basil Gazpacho
by Kat & Meg
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1 c limeade (Newman’s Own or Simply Limeade are both excellent)
1 fresh lime, juiced
2 tbsp dry white wine
12 med basil leaves, washed
2 c Tofutti sour cream (or the real stuff, as you prefer)
4 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
Using an immersion blender or upright blender, thoroughly puree the strawberries with the limeade, lime juice and white wine. Add the basil leaves, and process until the basil is completely integrated. There will be bubbles, but don’t worry about it, they will settle out. You should now have a nice, evenly textured puree.
Mix the honey, lemon zest and Tofutti together until well incorporated.
Serve the gazpacho in demitasse cups or small cordial glasses. Top with a dollop of the sour cream, and garnish with lemon zest.
It's amazing and wonderful to watch, and I'm glad that I've been capturing so much of her growth on camera. I recently went back through my photos of her, and some videos, and the 6-month version of Amailah seems like such a different creature. She's turning into a little person, with her own sensibilities. She shouted "NOISE! NOISE!!" over one of my favorite songs, recently, and she's started picking out her own clothes, both at the store and at home when she's getting dressed. She's got a solid sense of her own person-hood, and she's asserting it, sometimes in frustrating ways, but only because she's figuring out where the boundaries lie and how flexible they are.
She is often fearless, climbing up the back of the couch to the window or hurling herself down the big slide at the park. When she falls or fumbles her tears don't usually last long, and then she's off on the same errand as before, sometimes with modifications - she seems to prefer Daddy go down the big slide with her, after her solo head-first and tummy-up ride down the chute.
Most days, I feel like I can't get enough photos of her, knowing that she changes so much from week to week.
Also, I love that Amailah (mostly) doesn't mind me following her around with the camera. She did spend some time yesterday with her hat hiding her face, but that's not usual for her. She's starting to learn that when Mama takes pictures, she can then see them on the back of the camera, and she knows it's herself in the image.
I've been saying for a while that I've been feeling like I'd reached the limits of my D70s, and while there's nothing wrong with it, I wanted to move on to something bigger and better. I figured I'd do something about it in the next year or so, maybe the D300 or maybe something else.
What I got as a birthday present this year was not only a new camera, but a lot of time and care going into the research on what to buy, what lens options there are, how compatible my current accessories & lenses are, and how much room I'd have to grow with the camera. A bunch of really great questions, all researched and answered for me.
I've already spent several hours playing with the camera & slowly going through the manual, and I still have the fun ahead of sitting down with Jamie to research/choose a full-frame lens!
This is going to keep me busy for a long time to come :)
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