TRAIN-ing Day

Too often, days devolve into an endless relay: morning sprint to daycare, hustle to the office, dash to grab a coffee before speeding to a meeting, checking voicemail, and finally a mad dash to daycare for pick-up, home, dinner and bedtime, then repeat... It's absurd, exhausting, lunatic. Who set up such an idiot system?

Certainly not toddlers. They approach life with true 'beginner's mind,' the open, unbiased stance zen masters seek to reclaim.

In Xela-Land, wrapping paper may prove more exciting than the enclosed gift. A favorite possession of late is the small illustrated instruction booklet that came with a new toy. The child on the cover resembles a friend; Xela loves carrying her "Adam book" around in a pocket.

Same for travel. It's become cliché: life is a journey, not a destination. Toddlers get it. They live it. Who defines which is journey, which is destination? Who needs a destination anyway? Let's just ride the train!

fun, noun: riding the Red Line with Tata and snacks

Look, another train!

I see water!

can we ride trains every day?

enjoying the moment...
xoxoxela

Sunday Funday

After spending all last week fighting a fever, it's fantastic to be well again. We spent the day enjoying gorgeous spring weather at a new park and on our own city block. When it's sunny inside and out, everything feels like fun... even (especially) a big ol' tree:

bark is RUFF!

look Ma, one hand

c'mon, let's go to the park

Wheeee!

hmmm...

it's HIGH up here

adios for now, amigos, I'm going down

xoxox xela

mi amigo Pablito

Meet Pablo. He lives in Cambridge and was adopted from Guatemala...
just like me!



Today we met up in Harvard Square for story hour, then pizza at Veggie Planet. He's three and a half - a big kid! He's also very strong: when I got tired, he pushed me in the stroller.


I think we're going to be great friends.

Age 2, Week 1

I'm getting a taste of fickle New England spring. Just as the last birthday guests lit out of town, a snowstorm moved in. Boom! another foot of snow. All week, my cries for "no coat!" were ignored. Icy winds and below-zero temperatures prevailed...

till Friday: huge snowbanks shuddered, slumped, then swallowed themselves in sloppy puddles of slush. Glorious warm air invited outdoor play, evening walks, no hats or boots necessary. All weekend, winter was gone, finished, done...

till this morning: another snowstorm. Winter can't last forever, can it?

back in boots, hat, snowsuit - but no mittens (I have limits)

snow is melting...hats off to Spring!

the first snowdrops!

my Guatemalan chaquete: ready for Carnaval

could that be Xela, outside with NO COAT?
YES!

and again: out and about, coat-free!

oh nooooo! more snow :-(

Mother Nature is such a tease.
xox xela