heart of saturday night

Freshly  picked strawberries make the best pie. Happy Summer Everyone! Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

our first family vacation

Last week Pat, Henson and I packed up the car and headed to Martha's Vineyard. My brother-in-law's family owns a wonderful place on the beach and visiting is always such a treat.

The Vineyard always brings back memories of my adolescent summers. Those crazy times were spent running around the island, eating taffy, and living in my bathing suit.

I was excited to kick back and reconnect with old stomping ground. Plus, all of my siblings were there, as well as my mom and nephew. It was terrific to see everyone and catch up. Henson and his cousin Wilder are really funny together.

We also took Henson to see the ocean for the first time. He wasn't afraid of the booming waves (it rained while we were visiting) and I was so proud of his curiosity. That day, we made a promise that he would see the ocean every summer, indefinitely.

I SO wanted to call this trip a vacation, but I learned rather quickly that a vacation with a baby is really not a vacation at all. I wanted to forget our troubles and just let loose, but instead Henson and I both got very sick (as did my brother), and it rained. 

Turns out that even though we were in a beautiful place with all my favorite people it was still hard. There was coughing, stomach aches, and stuffy noses. We made the best of it, but honestly it wasn't the easiest trip.

It was our first experience traveling as a family and although it was difficult, we learned a lot. Here are a few things that I learned from traveling with our 8 month old.
           
1. Allow lots and lots of extra time, like more time than you would ever think necessary. If you have a plane, train or ferry to catch, make sure you leave ridiculously early because chances are you will have to stop one, two, or five times.

2. Stock up on snacks and towels because you never know.

3. Don't spend lots of money before you travel on things like new clothes, a pedicure, books, getting your hair done etc. You should forget about that cute dress that would be perfect for a walk in the village or a new suit for relaxing on the beach. If you get to accomplish anything that you plan, it will be short and sweet. Just grab what is comfy and forget the rest.

4. Your child's sleep schedule will not change... actually because they are in a new place your child may wake up more. Don't stay up past 2am. You will regret it.

5. If you travel with people that don't have children don't resent them. They are on a different path and you can't get upset if they drink wine and play games well into the wee hours of the morning. Embrace your life and don't be bitter.

I will admit, I was a little naive when we decided to take this trip but I am still glad we did. Plus I really can't regret a trip that included so much of the family and everyone getting along! Maybe I didn't get to put my feet up but the fact that nobody fought is a little vacation miracle.

On our last day, Henson got up crazy early so we grabbed a heavy blanket and went to the beach to watch the sun rise. It was spectacular.

Just like the trips I took as a preteen, Martha's Vineyard was clumsy, bittersweet, and a huge learning experience. I am really grateful for the memories we made and I can't wait to go back.

I will now end this post with some rather awkward (and hilarious) portraits I took of my brother. Enjoy. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate

baby book love: One Gorilla

Books and reading have always been extremely important to Pat and I. We had a book swap at our wedding, have spent entire vacations browsing book shops and consistently have a budget for books. When Henson came along we vowed to read to him everyday. In my opinion, reading is one of the best things you can do for a child and we love the special time together.

Back in the day, I worked for a children's bookstore so I actually possess a bit of knowledge on the subject. With this knowledge and a new baby that loves books, I thought I would start a new series of blog posts reviewing children's books. I know he is just a baby but we go to the library every week and Henson defiantly has his preferences. There are some books that are just amazing and I would love to share them with you.

Recently, Henson has been all about monkeys. We sing about monkeys and we read about monkeys. You can imagine my excitement when I found Anthony Browne's book One Gorilla. 

This book is beautiful! With simple counting and captivating illustrations it is perfect for a small child.

Henson may be little but we don't limit his reading to board books. He loves large books with big pictures and it gives us the opportunity to teach him to be gentle with the pages.

I will try and share our favorite board books as well but big or small if Henson likes a book we run with it. What children's books do you love? I am always looking for suggestions. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate

family project 24

Happy Tuesday everyone! After a few weeks of traveling it is really nice to be home. Henson and Pat were not together for father's day so they are making up for lost time with extra snuggles. Yesterday they took the cutest nap I have ever seen. Hope everyone had a good weekend. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

Linking up with Jodi's 52 Project

family project 23

Well hello there! The family and I have been on vacation without access to a computer or internet. Now that we are back, I am sorting through all the awesome photos I took and will soon be sharing them here. Until then, here is a shot of my boys at the beach house. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

8 months of little things

To our little doodle,

This summer is going to be so awesome!!! You have been introduced to grass, flowers, buzzing bees and the ocean. Sometimes I forget that you are experiencing things for the first time. I have to pause and remember we need to take our time. You can't hurry this and I am sorry when I forget that.
You have two teeth!! You love watermelon and I believe that is because I ate so much of it when I was pregnant. You also love:

being outside

visits from Janie

Maisy the mouse

shakers and maracas

riding in the car
playing in sand

you dislike:

wearing socks
teething

Things to look forward to:

swimming in the pond
Trips to Martha's Vineyard and Vermont
trying lots of new foods

You are such a funny little guy. You are full of energy and remind me a lot of your Uncle Trick. Are you going to be a daredevil like him too?  Everyone said that the time would fly by but sometimes I can't believe how much you've grown. You can stop now. Just kidding, it is such a pleasure to watch you grow and find the world. If we all stop and take a moment, it is easy to remember why we are all here. Thanks for being you. Love, your mama.

A few words on This is Where I Leave You

I read This is Where I Leave You back in March, but decided to write about it now because of the upcoming film adaptation. Here is my opinion and I hope it helps if you are considering downloading, borrowing, or purchasing this book.

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper tells the story of Judd Foxman and his dysfunctional family. In the first few chapters Judd walks in on his wife having an affair and learns that his father has passed away. His world is thrown into chaos as he heads back to his hometown to sit shiva with his family and honor his father's memory. When Judd arrives home, he is met by his strange mother, confrontational older sister, angry older brother, and boyish younger brother. The family spends all week together and what ensues is both dramatic and absurd.

The beginning of this book had me laughing out loud. When Judd walks in on his wife I actually choked on my coffee! I remember thinking "oh this is awesome." During the first chapters, I got that feeling I get while watching a great indie film, like when something is so weird but also just perfectly sweet.

At first I could really relate to Judd. I have never been in any of the situations he is faced with but Trooper wrote him in a very accessible way. Of course, quirky and accessible Jason Bateman is going to play Judd in the movie; it is perfect casting.

So the beginning was great, but the more characters that were introduced the less I enjoyed this book. It began to read like a screenplay (perhaps that was Tropper's intention all along?) and the characters were very um... superficial. I usually don't like film adaptations because you cannot see the inner struggle that a character must deal with. Tropper's book may be the exception because you only learn about the characters' superficially and nothing profound. I don't think anything will be lost in the film.

The other thing that needs to be said about this book regards the way Tropper wrote his female characters. I was actually uncomfortable at times. Not in the well written, "oh my god this woman is horrible" kind of a way but in the "Tropper doesn't seem to understand women." Yep, I'm going to say it, I think Tropper is misogynistic. All the woman in this book really seem to enjoy sex and babies...and that is all. I believe he thinks his female characters should have a lot of sex so they come across as empowered, but they just appear to be very one dimensional. These woman keep getting into really messed up situations involving sex and it seems to have absolutely no influence on any of the characters. None of the women in this book are well-rounded or described with the same detail as the men. You might say "that is the point, this book is written from a man's perspective," but in a book about family and a mother's influence, I feel there should be as much detail in a woman's character as there is in the description of her bathing suit. Just sayin'.

This was a quick read and I could see every scene in my head. It is perfect for a film and I think it will be a very simple adaptation. If the actors weren't so great I would probably skip it all together because honestly, I feel like I have already seen it. It wasn't a deep book which is a bit bizarre considering it is about grief and family. However Corey Stoll is in it and when I look at him all I can think about is sex and babies. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

family project 22

Today you get two photos of my boys because they are just so flippin hilarious. See Henson's little tooth? We are going on vacation next week so I should probably start packing now! Traveling with a baby requires lots of stuff.  Hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.