Ok, DC is Cool!

Has it really been 10 years since I've been here? Hard to imagine. And nearly 20 since I lived here after college, unbelievable!

Anyway, It is an absolutely glorious night so after arriving at my hotel I set off on a stroll to see some lit up monuments. And then found my hotel serving delicious french dishes that remind me of Alsace on a lovely outdoor patio overlooking a park this evening. It's 9:20 on a Sunday night and I am in heaven. Bon appetit!

Christmas is Coming!

And we know because it was time to set up the studio and drag the kids out to the garage!

here are some nice outtakes from our little shoot (you can click to enlarge any, as always):

Some Nice Candids

Balloons!

We got to a park last week just in time to watch the launch of 2 hot air balloons!

Honeys on the Honey Pot

Veggie pick-up was today, and both kids came. Jake played with a dog there for a good half hour. Both kids were so happy!!

Which was nice 'cuz then we left to go get Jake a flu shot. He was not so happy. Really, in fact, he was the most miserable I've EVER seen him. I had to hold him down to get the shot (not easy! the boy is strong!) and afterwards we got ice cream. Tonight Tara asked him if he'd been brave and he shook his head, and said "not really!". Understatement of the year, but nice of him to admit it. He also admitted the shot hadn't hurt much after all.

A few more pix:

I Kid you not...

I have spoken to about 20 nanny/babysitter candidates so far. I am very, very tired of speaking to them. Some are very nice young ladies, and some are nice older ladies, but there is a preponderance of people who are, shall we say, just not likely to be a good fit.

This exchange was one of my favorites, during a first phone call to a woman who sounded a lot older on the phone than she did by email.

Me: So, can you tell me what you're looking for? What would make the job successful or satisfying from your point of view?

Her: uh....

Me: (prompting in the silence) What would make a good fit for you in terms of the family you work with?

Her: ...well... I think... it might be important.... for, you know, the family to be, uh, looking for a babysitter.

We've met 2 in person and they were both nice enough. It's just really hard to get a sense in a quick visit.

I feel like I need to heed advice from my former boss Lloyd (co-founder of Sesame Street and generally very wise), on hiring. If you get what you expect 50% of the time, you're doing quite well. I just wish I didn't have to play these odds with my precious daughter 60 days before my semester at Duke starts!

Jake Bakes!

Jake and I spent Sunday morning baking and decorating a cake. We had a nice time. We had tried to invite Abby to help but all she wanted to do was play in the sink, so we let her do that!

Wall-E!

I found this photo on my phone yesterday. Jake had a haunted house work at school and decided to draw Wall-E, from memory, and put him in the picture. Then on the way home he apparently took a close-up photo of it with my phone. It looks so much like Wall-E, I think! He did draw one ghost but the rest of the picture, he explained this morning, is boxes Wall-E was lifting and his house. It is quite the drawing!
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