According to Robert Motherwell, collage is “the twentieth century’s greatest innovation”. This is a pretty bold statement from a man who saw the creation of everything from the car to the copy machine in his lifetime, and I think of a long list of things that I might rank a little higher on my list of great innovations. That being said, I have always thought there was a certain poetic quality to mashing things together, with intention or irreverance, and am currently getting a kick out of Picasa’s collage function. And let’s be honest, this is a much more efficient way to deliver some of the 10,000 pictures of Asher that are hanging around. Happy Monday!
We woke up this morning to a glowing world that looked as though it had been draped in an icy doily. The 12″ + of snow that we got this weekend was very wet and heavy and so it is clinging to the branches with fierce dedication. Although this kind of snow makes the power companies leery, (well, and me too, to be completely honest) it sure does make for a picturesque landscape…even in the city. Drew and I cooked and shoveled our way through the weekend and, most importantly, didn’t lose our power. I got out for a little while this morning to take some photos of a world that has fallen under the Snow Queen’s spell, and felt some of the magic that comes with the specific silence of a world coated in a winter white jacket.
Click on this picture to see pictures of Rugby ave on ice:
The baby is napping, Drew is working, and I am “cleaning” (read: poking around on the internet and putting up a blog post. I couldn’t risk vacuuming and waking the baby, now could I?)
We dug out from another snow storm yesterday, although this time it was only around 10 inches which, compared to the gigundo storm that we got before Christmas, seems completely manageable. We took Asher outside for his first romp in the snow. And by romp, I mean sit. And by sit, really I mean prop, but he definitely seemed to enjoy himself. Take a look:
And here’s the latest from the embarrassing photo vault:
(Drew really enjoys picking out outfits for Asher, and I really enjoy documenting the results.)
That’s all for today, the dust bunnies are calling, so I must get to it. Lots of love from the nest!
So Asher has been quite the babbler throughout his long life. However, about two weeks ago, he decided that babbling was for babies and that real men screetch. I mean, really screeeetch. Gone are the days of the quiet, inquisitive babbling…the upper register of this kid’s voice has arrived! Here’s a video that Mom caught of him working his lungs out, turn your volume way up for the full effect! (My apologies to those that may have already seen this).
I sometimes try to imagine myself at 80ish talking about being born in the 1900s. My children may or may not think it of note that I graduated high school in the year 2000, and I have to swallow deeply when I say that Asher will be graduating college (theoretically) in 2031. A lot of very smart adults in my life told me that having a child would certainly make me more aware of the breadth of the future, but it has also heightened my sense of the past too. Thinking today of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his big dreams makes me think of my Grandmother looking at my newly born mother in 19– and wondering if she hoped for or could even imagine the boldness of the world that her daughter would grow up in. Since my mother’s birth, large strides have certainly been made for the equality of all, starting with shared seats on a bus and arriving most notably with the first African American president. I’d like to think that this is something that my grandmother hoped for as she looked into the faces of her children, but don’t really know for sure. What I do know is that I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the work of all of the activists, politicians, soldiers, teachers, parents and all other brave souls that worked to make most of Dr King’s dream a reality. The work that I see facing the future that I dream of for my child is that he continues to grow up in an America that is not racially divided, where he is free to love and marry whomever he may deem worthy, where our cultural diversity is celebrated and not exploited, and where we continue to keep an eye on the sometimes painful and deeply motivational lessons of the past. I sometimes roll my eyes at hearing some of my parents stories for the thousandth time, but I am reminded all too clearly today that almost all of the freedoms that I enjoy and often take for granted are still fresh in the minds and hearts of those who lived without them. It is my personal belief that the drive for justice is fueled by love, and I hope that as we get to witness our children growing in this world, we see more of that than anything.
I have been sparing you my usual long-winded ramblings because it seems that there haven’t been enough hours in the day. Briefly, I will say that we’re doing great, ready to take on 2010 with vigor and zeal. Here’s a quick glimpse of life since the great snow WOW of 2009:
Asher continues to work on sitting up
Drew dug us out...with a garden shovel and a leaf rake!
Grace smiled for Santa
Asher had a play date. (This is my friend Autum's son, Xavier. Autum and I have been friends since 3rd grade...now Asher and Xavier can say that they've been friends since birth.)
Drew picked up some fake mustaches for the whole family...
but we think that Asher's was the most convincing.
Asher was a very good sport about posing for some Christmas pictures.
but really, enough is enough already.
We put the babies to bed and rang in the New Year with other new parents, and had one of the more fun New Year's Eve nights that we've had in a couple of years.
And now we're looking into the coming year for such excitement as a first tooth, a first step, and maybe a word or two...and so very much more.
So that’s the quick run down…more to follow, I promise!
Drew’s father, Tom, is celebrating his 60th birthday today, so Drew and Asher jumped in front of the camera to send Tom special birthday wishes. Lots of love, and many happy returns!
Last night, Grace came to us and asked if she could be in charge of our Christmas greeting this year. She said she had been working on a little something and she was sure that her fresh take on our usual Christmas card would appeal to Drew and me. It took a lot of rehearsal, but I think we finally got it down, see what you think.
Wishing you a lots of love and hope for a peaceful and joy filled 2010!
Happy Monday!
