this is the story of a boy and his chucks.

G is just about to outgrow his first pair of Chucks. We had a wicked step-sister moment this afternoon as we muscled those sweet baby toes into the 4 inch soles...so I thought I'd better pay tribute now before the magic wears off entirely.

These sneakers were the golden ticket that warped him from babyhood to boyhood. How is this even possible? We first slipped them on not even 5 months ago. Back then, he was not even standing on his own and his first steps were nowhere on the radar. Today his Chucks take him on brave backyard adventures and he is more curious, busy, and carefree in them than ever before.

This is the short story of 5 minutes in G's shoes.

(Above) Sometimes we sit on the steps to watch squirrels or airplanes or blow bubbles together. Sometimes he stops to rest here after his treasure hunts, to inspect and inevitably taste his precious finds.

But never for more than 30 seconds. Then we are off and running.

We can count on the adventure leading us to the rock bed. This is where we sit or squat for quite some time, combing for the perfect stones. Most are discarded into the window well of the basement. One or two will make the cut and be grasped in his palms as we continue the adventure. I often wonder what qualities a rock must possess to qualify.

Somewhere along the line, he peers through the fence to point and bark at the neighbor's dog. The dog barks back. I startle. G keeps on woo-woo-woofing. He is fearless.

The adventure goes on and on...Sometimes I wish I could cast a spell and keep him in his little Chucks, contained in our backyard forever. But savoring our afternoon, brushing the dirt off of his 4" soles, and kissing his yummy cheeks today is about the best I can do...That and ponder what color his next pair should be? I love this adventure.

a winter's treasures

To celebrate Jeff's birthday last week, our little family went on a snowshoeing excursion. (Oh how we love an excuse to haul G around in his sled.) Just for fun, we collected some of the twigs, leaves, and berries along the trail. I love the idea of nature scavenger hunts. There's just something about those tidbits+treasures along the way, combined with a healthy dose of fresh air, that melt my frozen heart and make the whole concept of a winter that lasts half the year a bit more tolerable. 'Tis true, I've resigned myself to the fact that if we're gonna live here happily ever after, we must embrace the snow.After coming in from the cold, we sat down to a birthday feast, summertime style: my favorite strawberry+poppyseed salad to accompany Jeff's favorite bombay sliders with curry sauce. Mmmm. So good, he didn't even notice that I forgot the sliced cucumbers. Whenever we eat these, we dream of the day we can throw a huge backyard barbeque just to serve these mouthwatering burgers and wow all of our friends. They're just that amazing. But first we'll need good weather and a backyard to call our own. Details. For dessert--this lazy lady made pillsbury cake a la box--the kind with fun pastel sprinkles in the mix. (Jeff actually requested this. Is it because a) I am bad at baking and he wanted to spare us both the misery of making/eating my shifty cake from scratch, or b) because it's actually his favorite kind of cake ever? ) You decide.

Happy day.