MamaPie

Sweet party for the sweetest boy

Last Saturday, we had Reuben's fourth birthday party here at home. We did a simple, Spring-themed craft project:

 

 

 

I cut up strips of Spring-y fabric with the pinking shears and the children painted 6 inch terracotta pots with modge podge, stuck the fabric on, pressed on sequins and then painted over it all with more modge podge. I think one of the secrets to successful crafting with kids it limiting the palate, so that whatever they end up doing, it looks pretty good!

After the craft, we played a few games in the living room. The most successful was freeze dance--pretty self-explanatory: dance while the music is playing, freeze when it stops. What made this special was that our friend Susan played the music on the piano.

After games, it was time for (cup)cake! I made lemon cupcakes, at the request of birthday boy, and we had them with vanilla ice cream.

Then it was time for the sure-fire hit of any birthday party, at least according to my boys: the pinata!

And, finally, time to hand out some shooting star favors and to "purchase" flowers for the flower pots from "Reuben's Flower Shop".

Happy Birthday to my tender, brave, strong, sweet Reuben Sascha. I can't believe my good fortune in being able to be your mama. I love you.

 

"Ruby, where are you?"

Just a few of the places I've found this climbing monkey boy after I've asked this question.

And now he's Three

Reuben had a great birthday on Sunday. When he woke up, we gave him his Skuut (present from Grandma and Grandpa) with a ribbon on one handlebar and a felt birthday crown that I made hanging from the other.

We had two birthday parties: one in the morning with a few friends from our parent-child class and one in the evening with a few family friends.

Highlights of the morning party were a painting project, a magic show by Ezra the Magician and some sweet games. Oh, and cake (lemon pound cake).

For the evening party, we had soup and bread and a totally improvised salad that turned out really well. Our friend who was supposed to bring the salad was home with a sick boy, so I dug through the fridge and came up with an apple, celery, hazelnut salad with a mustard dressing. For dessert, we had chocolate chip cookie ice-cream sandwiches. For Ezra and Reuben, the highlight of that party was being with their beloved Allison and Kelly (old babysitter and her girlfriend). A & K are the absolute best and E &R bask in their sweetness and love.

And, now, our sweet brown-eyed monkey begins his fourth year in this beautiful world of ours.

Happy Birthday Roo-Roo!

Birthday Preparations

This morning, Ezra and Reuben were having a serious conversation and when I walked over Ezra told me that he had just "taught Ruby how to make a wish." This is a very important thing to know if it is going to be your third birthday tomorrow.

Right now I am: baking cookies, hard-boiling eggs and cooking beans for birthday soup (if you don't know the Little Bear story "Birthday Soup" I recommend finding it). We are having two parties tomorrow. The first one will be mid-day for a few of Reuben's friends from his parent-child class at school. We will do an art project, play some games, eat some good food and have a lemon cake. The second one will be a family party in the evening with some close friends. At this one, we'll just let the boys (yep, there will be all boy children there) play and will eat soup, bread and Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies with ice cream.

I'm off to prep the art project and the games, but wanted to share this that I found this morning. It looks like such a fun idea. We will definitely be trying it out this week.

Tender Boys

On two consecutive days last week, Ezra and Reuben burst into tears. Not the whining kind of fakey crying (which we also get plenty of), but serious crying, with plump wet tears streaming down their beautiful faces.

Ezra's cry came about at the beginning of the New York Jets game, where they were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers for a chance in the Super Bowl. Andrew is a lifelong diehard Jets fan and this year, it seems, that fandom has reached a third generation of the Cohen family in Ezra (Andrew's father is also a huge fan). While the world of football holds no resonance for me (I literally do not know how the game is played) I have watched as Ezra has grown to understand the game, to speak the language of football with fluency and to feel a strong team allegiance to those New York J-E-T-S.

So last Sunday, about ten minutes after Ezra and Andrew went down to the basement to begin watching the game, I was suprised when Ezra came running up to the kitchen (my usual post during football games), ran into my arms and started sobbing. "I'm so scared," he said "about the Jets." I held him, this sweet six-year-old boy with milky skin and pink cheeks, as he cried big and hard. And then he wanted to go back down and watch again.

The Jets lost, and he was okay and we made it through his first football season.

Reuben's cry came the next day after we had spent some time reading books, sharing a bagel and drinking warm drinks (for him, a vanilla steamer, for me, a rice chai) at our neighborhood coffee shop. When he's done with his drink, Reuben always likes to carry his mug up to the counter and give it to whomever is working. On this day, he had more things than usual to carry: our friend Kim had given him his steamer in a little teacup, complete with a saucer and a spoon. He diligently arranged all these items and carried them slowly and carefully up to the counter. Just as he was handing them to the Kim, the teacup toppled off the saucer and shattered. "Sorry," Ruby managed to say solemnly, before turning to me and sobbing, inconsolably, for a full five minutes. His feeling that he had made a mistake, that he had done something wrong and felt so badly for having done so reminded me, in the same way that Ezra's fear and overwhelm about the football game had, of the deep innocence and tenderness of these boy-creatures that I have been entrusted to raise, to help, to teach, to love - and reminded me (yet again) of how honored I am to be sharing my days with them: with the tears, the laughter and everything in between.

 

Quarantined

Ruby has hand, foot and mouth again. He had it last Fall, too. Apparently, it is a Fall virus. He woke up two nights ago crying and, in a moment of complete mama intuition, I knew he had HFM. No mouth sores, no telling me his mouth hurt, I hadn't even been thinking of HFM, but I just knew he had it. The next afternoon, the telltale sores were there; There you go.

So, we're fairly quarantined for the next few days. What we've done so far today: made Ruby a green credit card using an unused Safeway Club Card (how did we even have this?), made him a snake by cutting a spiral out of construction paper, gone for a bike ride and eaten popsicles and yogurt. It's 11am.

On the agenda for the afternoon? Books, more art and, surely, more popsicles. What's your favorite sick day activity?

"Meat!Meat!Meat!"

Ruby eats ribs:

 
 
 

Look Who's Running

Ruby found the flax seeds...and the toilet paper.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Ruby: 2/20/2009

As I was drying you off after your bath last night, your smooth olive skin pinked up from the water, you rolled on your side and I patted water droplets off of your back and your chubby thighs and your baby-cellulite-y bottom and it reminded me of your wet smooth body when you were born, curled up like a comma, so soft.

You've been with us a year now...whatever that means. One of the most significant changes in my outlook after becoming a mother has been how I experience time--all of it is quicker (except when a day, or an hour, drags on interminably), more precious, more blurry and topsy-turvy. But, yes, you have been with us now through one whole cycle of the seasons, through all the holidays and weather changes. You've been with us as, first, I turned thirty-seven and, then, Papa, turned thirty-seven and, then, your big brother Ezra turned four. And now, Reuben, you are one. Not one day (so sleepy) or one week (so beautiful) or one month (so fussy). One year.

Through the year, Reuben, you have been consistently adorable. You are just so very cute. When your big brother was in my belly, I knew he was tender and funny. When you were in my belly, what I knew for sure about you was that you were cute. Now that you've been on the outside for awhile, you have certainly confirmed my mother's intuition. You have also revealed yourself to be delighted by life, endlessly amused by your brother, a strong little mighty mouse, a determined explorer, a short napper and an early riser. You have a loud, strong voice that you aren't afraid to use to let us know you when you want something - usually, it's water. You drink out of cup like a boy three times your age and you probably match many adults in the quantity of your daily water consumption. You've shown yourself to be sturdy, resilient and forgiving when Ezra's struggle to find his way as a big brother has come out towards you. You prefer to face outward when being held, so that with your dark chocolate eyes you can thoroughly take in the world and it's inhabitants.

Your current loves, greeted by much excited noisemaking as well as pumping of your arms and legs, are: the broom, the Vitamix blender, cats, telephones (land and cell) and certain books (Goodnight Moon, Grow Up and Peek-A-Who).

We adore you, Reuben Sascha. We are honored you came to us. We can't wait to get to know you more and more and more.

Happy Birthday, sweet one.

Love,

Mama