eight years

And more in love today.

40 years

My parents were married 40 years ago this weekend.

They were just 20 years old at the time!

Here they are, more adorable than ever, on a recent trip to Italy:

Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

You guys are amazing, and a total inspiration.

Here's to the next 40 years!

Love you.

First Haircut

The baby-mullet, as seen in the last two photos (before trim commenced), is no more! I am fighting off the feeling that my littlest baby is now a boy. He sure thinks he is ;)

Seems like just yesterday this guy was getting his first haircut. Sigh.

Three Years of Marvelous

Photo via Confetti System

Y'know what I just realized? I reached my three-year blogaversary on November 8! I totally forgot to mark the milestone that day, but I just couldn't let it go without mention.

When I posted my first post here, I never could have imagined what this blog would come to mean to me. It has been a source of great fun, a way of making wonderful friends, an incredible learning experience, and an amazing creative outlet. I am so appreciative of everyone who has contributed here, as readers, commenters, guest posters, and sponsors. For me, this space has come to feel much more like a community than a diary, and more of a party than just a journal of reflections. Thank you so much for being a part of it!

To celebrate the three-year milestone (that's 1,325 posts and counting!) I thought I'd link to some of my favorite moments. Here are twenty Marvelous Kiddo posts that I still think about and love, in chronological order:

Notes on Closeness

Lomography Fun at Turtle Pond

Spring Has Returned

Mother's Day Reflections

Only in New York

My Paris Birthday

A Mama Milestone

The Boys Are Back In Town

Portraits of Our Little Family

The Belly, Week 38

And Then There Were Four of Us

Welcoming Another Marvelous Kiddo: Our Home Birth Story

All is Love: A Maxstravaganza

Nursing Two

The Joys of Babywearing

Birth Story of the Week: Martha's Story

Baby Mamas

Five Months (Yesterday)

The Theory of Relativity

Magical Days

Do you have any favorite moments from my blog? Thanks for being a part of the journey :)

A year ago today...

...I was about to pop, and we were soon to meet W.

My, how this year has flown!

North Carolina

We had a completely wonderful time in North Carolina last week, so I wanted to share some of the highlights!

First off, the scenery was gorgeous. The photo above was the view we woke up to every morning. And there was a balcony with rocking chair right off the bedroom we stayed in! W loved climbing up into the chair and rocking the daylights out of it all of the time...

...a vigorous activity that usually led him to want a snack directly after...

...which was always a good idea, because of course we weren't just sitting around in rocking chairs all day! We had a few activities to attend to. Allow me to illustrate:

1. Making sure the playground equipment was in good working order

2. Perfecting golf technique with Great-Grandpa Budd

3. Hanging out lakeside with Grandma Riki

4. Going horseback riding and surveying the stables with a bunch of totally awesome cousins

5. Going fishing

6. Learning how to paddle a canoe

7. Visiting with a family of swans:

8. Making new (amazingly color-coordinated!) friends

9. Eating ice cream

10. Celebrating 65 years of love

Photo credits:

playground and golf photos by Riki

feeding the ducks by Ariella

ice cream and anniversary embrace by Uncle Rob

all others by Yours Truly.

Walking

A little glimpse of his new skills! It has been an exciting month ;)

Charlotte's Web

Last night J put pen to paper and created his first representational drawing! I almost cried when I saw it, I loved it so much.

Thanks to Katie, at Where Is Thumbkin, for the beautiful ceramic magnets!

Happy Birthday, J!

Moments after your birth

Your first walk in Central Park

Yawning

Snuggling

Crawling

Age 1!

Age 2!

Age 3!

I love you sooooo much, kiddo! Thanks for making me a mom.

9 Months

Happy nine-months, today, baby! It's hard to believe you've been out in the world now for as long as you were in my belly. You can do so many things already! You are such a little man!

Actually, it's even harder to believe you haven't always been around...because I can't imagine life without you!

XOXO, Mama.

Six Months + Three Days

Monday was W's six-month birthday, and I totally planned to do a photo-post celebration of the milestone but then I fell ill with that nasty 24-hour bug :( So here I am, three days late with some shots of my happy little half-birthday guy, captured moments ago in Photo Booth when we were giggling away. He's growing up too fast!!!

December Photo Project

My blog-friend Rebecca invited me to participate in an awesome challenge she created called the December Photo Project. The event involves taking a photo every day this month and posting on your blog or flickr. To learn more and join in on the fun, click here.

This is my first entry: a photo I snapped of W this afternoon just moments before he rolled over for the very first time! A rather momentous event on this 1st day of December -- which is also his three-month birthday ;)