circles

our wonderful friend susan brought us homemade vegan quiche and purple flowers. suki has been practicing drawing circles and is getting pretty, pretty, pretty good. she has also been learning about squares. i cut out orange squares, and she glued them on all by her self. today was nice. 

stuck

since it seems i will most likely be stationary for a while, i am looking for some recommendations for good parenting books. also, do you know of any fun activities to do with a toddler that does not involve much movement by the caregiver? 

surprised

hello friends! what a strange day it has been. it started with a doctors visit where i learned that i have a broken back. this came as a huge shock to me, as it was completely unexpected. about a month ago i went to see the doctor because my left foot was swollen and it was causing me a lot of pain. the doctor told me to just put some ice on it. he assured me it would be better within the week. after a couple weeks it was not better and i was concerned because i was having numbness in my leg and arm (i figured it was low iron or something along those lines). my doctor then ordered x-rays. i decided it was probably not necessary and could wait until after our vacation. when we returned i wanted to cancel the follow up visit and not get the x-rays because i usually try to avoid those but adam made me go. now i am very thankful he insisted that i follow through with them. i am waiting to get more information from the neurosurgeon next week. until then i have been advised not to lift and to take it easy. i am feeling sad and nervous about the news. if you say prayers please say one for me and for adam too since he now has much more on his plate because of this. 

toddler road trip tips

last year, we took a month long road trip with suki and traveled through 14 states. we drove five to seven hours a day and camped along the way. since then, we have only taken a few, short three hour car trips. when planning for our trip to virginia i was a bit nervous about the car ride. since suki is a very active toddler i imagined it would be a fight to keep her in her seat and happy. after some planning and talking to friends who frequently road trip with toddlers, i felt more prepared and in the end it was a blast. suki loved spending time with us in the car, and she napped very well. 

here are a few tips we discovered. ideally you should start your first leg of the trip after an active morning and leave an hour or two before the usual nap time. start with more stimulating activities like hide and seek books or coloring. as nap time approaches, transition to more quite books and music. we like to sing along and suki loves that. after nap time take a break at the first sign of restlessness. do not wait too long! when it is time to get back in the car, after some fresh air and movement, we usually transition by having a snack. this makes it a little more desirable to get back in the seat. at this point it is nice for an adult to switch to the back seat- that is usually me since i do not like to drive. after reading a few books and having fun with toys your destination will be right around the corner. 

favorite road trip foods:

raw cookies

dried fruit

rice crackers

apples

sesame sticks

kombucha

juice boxes

aarteita!

1. babybug magazines

2. doodle bugs activity book 

3. rebe matilda sac

4. magna doodle

5. kids music

6. reusable doll stickers

enjoy the ride!

vacation highlights

erla's house in the country- where we stayed for the week

feeding fish and exploring outdoors

running on the lawn at UVa

watching suki make friends with people on the sidewalks

suki's new doll, inez

touched by virginia opening

alakazam toy store

the discovery museum

monsoon 

albemarle ciderworks

coffee breaks with raw cookies

petit bebe

the twisted branch tea bizarre 

afternoon drive in the country

give me liberty or give me death

stills from the performance by adam wolpa for the touched by virginia show at the ruffin gallery.

this beautiful performance unfolded in surprising ways on opening night, and it continues to perform for the duration of the exhibition. adam had initially intended for this to be a solo performance, but after he cut the tip of his finger off, his friend clay joined him in the making of the piece. they worked together to produce two vessels of shredded cabbage that was then kneeded to perfection. the piece is now working quietly in the ruffin gallery at the university of virginia. if you are near by you should visit it while it is in this stage, take in the show while the subtle aroma of this piece reminds you it is at work fermenting. if you have the desire to fully consume the piece there will be a closing on october 22, when you are invited to bring a small jar to fill with sauerkraut and enjoy.