October 10, 2014

52 Pick-Up and Smiles

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When I'm sifting through pictures of my kids and selecting which ones to pull out, I often find that I pick ones where they aren't smiling. Does anyone else do this? I actually have to force myself to put smiling shots in this series so that we won't look back and think everyone was depressed all the time... so just for fun (and because I want to remember the way that Roo's snaggle tooth smile looks right now forever and ever), here's the 'B-side'.


Little Smith has really not been a fan of photos lately, so I take what I can get. Babies, on the other hand, are all too ready to play peek-a-boo with the camera...


I wonder if she would mind if I started making little wishes for that other front tooth to never grow in... I mean honestly, I've never seen a baby just with one front tooth missing and all the others filling in around it, and it's just the cutest thing in history. Little Smith was toothless until 15 months, so I guess some oddities with teething are just in the genes.

... and now for a little catch up...

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This is an iPhone picture, but I love that it reminds me so much of our summer. It's taken outside of the original Hasty Pudding building in Harvard Square. We've been having waves of lingering warm weather and spent a couple weekends in a row scooting and biking around Harvard and the Charles River, enjoying street musicians and eating outside. The kids have both just about outgrown their sandals, but I keep squeezing them on for yet another last hurrah, it's so hard to say goodbye. 

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(*full disclosure, that last picture of Smith on the 'wheely cow' is from months ago. as i said, he's not been much for pictures lately- and without his hair, you can't reeealy tell!)

Lately he: has been full of opinions and testing my boundaries. After a smooth start to school this year, he's been reconsidering and saying he doesn't want to go daily:

little smith: I'm not going to school anymore, I'm going to stay here with you and Woo-by.

me: You have to go to school, and all of your friends would miss you if you didn't show up.

little smith: I'm going to close school. All of my friends will stay home too. And my teachers will stay home too. No one will go to school ever again, because I am closing school.

me: That's silly, and you'd be bored just hanging around with Roo and I every day.

little smith: I wouldn't get bored. We'd take walks.

The kid makes a good argument! I definitely miss the summer days when it was just the three of us, fitting in adventures between errands. Sometimes it is so difficult as a parent to stick to your guns and do what you think is right in the big picture. 

Lately she: is such a tough little girl. It's funny because in some way the gender stereotypes have really held up so far with these kids; he is into trains and cars and rocket ships, she already rocks her baby dolls and tries to feed them bottles... but on the other hand, she is such a bruiser compared to her big brother. He was always very good a gauging his body in space and managing his risks. He never toddled into things and always stopped to evaluate edges or steps. She will bang right into a table and keep running off the end of a ledge... it's slightly terrifying.

Her favorite game right now is taking her head and slamming it into mine so hard that it actually hurts me and leaves her with a mark, then smiling and say, 'OWWW'. If she doesn't get her way, she hits. She will wack her brother with a block for no particular reason. We are working on 'gentle touches', but she is so little that it's sort of challenging to discipline. This babe is going to be quite a force, watch out!

2 comments:

  1. I remember those no smiles, no school days well. Who am I kidding, my 18 year old son regularly asks me if he can stay home from school since "you know, nuthin's really happenin." And my youngest (now about to turn 17) was the bruiser in our family-- she still is really. I sort of chocked it up to her being the youngest and only 13 months younger than her brother...sigh.

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  2. I love the contemplative shots and the happy smiles! My daughter was a bruiser too. I think my son maybe hit his head a couple of times ever, but the girl...it was constant! Trying to keep up with her older brother maybe?

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