Making Connections

I think Ezra has recently made an important connection.  Based on his outward actions, he seems to have figured out this important truth:

"I have an incredibly loyal, darling friend and sweet sister when I help her feel safe and happy.  When I don't help her feel safe and happy, she doesn't want to be with me, and then I'm lonely."

Ezra and Maren have recently improved their quality and quantity of together-play time.  There are more moments of giggling, holding hands, cuddling, and kindness.  There are even some sweet moments of unstructured collaborative fun between the two of them that is not initiated by me.  What a beautiful pattern! 

When Ezra and Maren are well-rested and fed (otherwise all bets are off!), they are genuinely pleased, even delighted to be together.  Sometimes, if Ezra gets a little rough, and Maren is on the verge of abandoning him, he will shower Maren with loves and apologies to encourage her to stay.  "Ezra," is almost always Maren's first word when she wakes up in the morning.  She truly adores her little brother, and Ezra is beginning to truly adore his little sister.

These few pictures from the past two weeks are just a glimpse of their deepening sibling bond.  And I couldn't be happier!

Oh the Wonders of a Mom Visit

The kitchen cabinet renovation has been pushed forward in a major way because--you'll never guess--my mom came for a visit!  She wanted to come over for her birthday, as her gift to herself.  We did celebrate her birthday, of course, but the major activity of the past week was painting the kitchen.  Both kids were sick for the most of the time she was here, so I took advantage of my mom's willingness and the kid's low energy.   My mom loves to be useful, and enjoys home improvement projects, so I think it is safe to say that she thoroughly enjoyed her opportunity to use a paint roller for several days in a row.  She shaved off at least a month of late night painting from my to-do list, and I am tickled every time I walk into my new-and-improved kitchen.

I have twenty-three cabinet doors, and while my mom was here, seventeen were completed (with new hinges and hardware) and hung.  There is some touch-up painting, caulking, and tweaking to do, but the end is in sight!  And I am ready for the end!  This turned out to be a bigger project than I anticipated, and it has all but consumed my late evening attentions for the better part of two months.  I look forward to spending more time with the people I love rather than paint and rollers.

Thanks Mom!  You're awesome!
       

The six remaining base cabinet doors still need to be painted and installed.

The original cabinet did not wrap around the corner, this was a design change.

After we added cabinets around the corner, it made sense to put one on other side of the window too.

These upper and lower cabinets are also new, and take advantage of all available space!

p.s.--I am considering putting some kind of apparatus in place for plant display around/along/hanging at the kitchen window.  Any thoughts? (I'm looking at you Jane of the Jungle, Architect Especial...)