My Sister Hailey

Just received a rare email from my sister Hailey with pictures. This one pricked my heart and I had to post it cause I miss her so much and she's so far away in Washington State and she wasn't able to come for our little sister thing last month! Her man Randy is sosososo awesome. Miss you guys! I hope to see you in November!!

Book Obsessed

It's a magical thing -- reading. I have always been passionate about it.

My friend Laurie, who's casual about reading, made a frenzied call about this book she'd just finished begging, pleading with me to read it. I'm not one to demur a good read, so I got online and had _Twilight_ sent to my local NYPL branch.

I am undermined. I am lost. I AM LOVIN' IT. So, if you haven't read this completely engrossing, drop your life and come aboard series of young adult fiction :::gulp::: queue up. I know it's mania already what with Harry Potter and his final blip in our literary horizons. But file this away, once you can breathe again, and are ready for more obsessive coupling with a good book.

Now I have to promise myself to write sometime about a totally different book that had a totally different affect on me. . . glorious, fresh, and fine literature, Marilynne Robinson's, _Gilead_. Another time. Meanwhile, the giddy, free-spirited girl in me is off to devour the second in the series _New Moon_. Bravo Stephenie Meyers!

So, this has all greatly cut into my blogging time. . . among other things.

Zoe en Voice

Zoe turned 18months yesterday and so mybaby is not quite so much a baby. . . she'll be starting nursery school on Sunday and I just might be the one crying.

She's becoming quite verbal so I've decided it's time to create another segment of Jones babes quips. Nate and I had some debate about the catchy title. The one I've chosen Nate didn't think was cutsie enough, "It's cute but it should be cutsie." Alright, so his suggestion? Zoe Baloney.

Juice
Baby
Ears
Eyes
Nose
Byebye
Hi!
No!
Down
Up
Bowl
Spoon
More
Comfy
Kiss
Nurse this (and points!!)
No more . . . (then some gibberish which she means . . . Monkeys jumping on the bed!)
Hot
Cold
Owie!
Shhhhhh.... (with finger in place!)
Stuck
Cookie
Happy
Toast
Hat
Guy (for Desi's action figure toys, statues, pictures, folks on the train -- it's cute)
Shoe
Elmo
Desi
Dadda/Daddy

She still prefers to call me "Dadda". On my birthday however, in a museum, it was the first time she called out to me, after she saw me afar off in a gallery, “MOMMA MOMMA MOMMA!!” It was touching. Since then, though, she’s gone back to her parental coverall term, "Dadda". I wait, and hope.

Weekend with Auntie Holly and Heidi

It's so nice when family comes to visit. My sister Holly came a couple of weeks ago, which meant Heidi came from CT too and we had a long 4.5 days together in NYC and CT! On Friday we spent some time in Central Park, standing in line for Public Theater's Romeo and Juliet tickets. We got there late so waited onnly about 40minutes and luckily still got some tickets! Having 2 sisters along made the actually made the wait fun for the babes&me. We took turns wandering off, playing catch, and climbing trees&fences, etc.

Here's some photo shots:

Holly&Zoe

Don't look now but Zoe is climbing the fence!

Catch Zoe

Heidi's shoulders are perfect for snacking

Spending some time together in a tree

After scoring our FREE tickets, we went to the Diana Ross Playground and Zoe showed off her climbing skills.

The next two days we spent in CT enjoying the beach, cheap watermelon, Trader Joe's, a new playground, yummy Caribbean food, and cable television. ;) I caught some candid silliness on my camera Sunday afternoon (they didn't know I was recording), here's a little snippet of how charged up my sisters&I can get when we're together!

Here's more pics while in CT:

DPJ's wistful look

At the beach

Mmmm.... plantain chips and salsa

Des&me

Excuse me, could you please pick me up?

Zoe & Heidi

Showing some leg

Fearless at the beach

Hand-in-hand with dearAunties

Tucking his Aunties in after a busy day!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

Desi Candor XV

Tomorrow let’s go swim with the dolphins.

My mom, I’m eating your hair – your hair falled out all the time!

I don’t like having coughs. I can’t talk. . . and I can’t hear either and my coughs wake people up!

Superman to the rescue – he saves England!

You’re a chacha baby Zoe.

Will it be Boy Day after Fathers Day?

Me: You’re not being careful with keeping the water inside the tub.
Des: Zoe did it.
Me: Des. . .
Des: I lied, hu?
Me: Yes.
Des: Sorry mom.

I watched girl movies now. I growed up and can watch girl movies.

During our regular study time sessions in the evenings Des sighs, “I’m thinking about fun”.

I’ll cut out the square cause it’s angry.

Rock and Roll Baby!

I like Daddy just the way he is.

Ummmm. . . I think it was Zoe, not me.

Waking one morning I found Desi standing beside my bed. He smiles and says, “I’m here to kiss you!”

Look mom I cut his head off. Isn’t it interesting?

Our lips crashed together.

A boy with a popsicle in his hand and a girl with none. (It was really a sucker. Zoe is still on limited sugar intake.)

Bustin' a Move

Yeah, yeah! We now get our dancing fun at wedding receptions. What can I say? It was fun! Especially when DesJones hit the dance floor and turned out to be quite the uninhibited maniac. Nathan was so embarrassed he had to leave the room (!) I, on the other hand, was laughing (so hard!) and enjoying it so much, that I had to beg every one's pardon while I turned on the lights to catch this footage -- which, unfortunately, is not even the most outrageous sampling of his dancing. He was grooving for probably 3-hours. It was so much fun.

GRANDPARENTS TAKE OVER

While away in Ohio, Grandma and Grandpa Simkins settled in with the Jones babes for some much needed alone time. Here are some pics from their activities:

Waiting for the frog to croak water!

Lounging around with Grampy

Grampy's great for a push in the swing

Playing coy with the camera

Trying on all the new clothes from Grammy

When we returned we had a day to spend together before they left. Decided on a picnic in Central Park and a ride on the carousel.

mmmmm. . . picnic food: pita bread, hummus, baba ganoush, farmers sharp cheese, goat cheese with herbs, greek yogurt, cucumbers, red peppers, watermelon, grapes . . . :):)

Grammy and Zoe

Des can always find someting to be happy about

Grampy and Zoe

Waiting for the Carousel

Zoe's not convinced the carousel is supposed to be fun

Small Thoughts on Forever

Spent some time away last month -- a quick little getaway to Vanessa and Andrew's wedding in Ohio. The suburbs are sure nice to visit. Glorious places. Andrews parents lived in a varitable meadow which, once leaving the car after a 14+hour trip, was the perfect place for me and I tumbled onto the sensible grass to gather and ground and shake off the blah of the cars motion. Love roadtrips but I'm not often in cars anymore so my head and body react painfully. Ahhh. . . the grass . . . once night fell, I was back out on it, secretly doing cartwheels and running around barefoot with a goofy smile on my face. Love that side of me.

Vanessa was a glorious bride.

Andrew was a charming groom.

Quite young and yet quite deliberate in their choices. They want to be with one another forever. I love how simple and how profound it can be to look at two young people and see them making such advanced decisions about their lives. Seeing the whole as best they can, leaving the rest to their faith and their commitment to each other, to grow together no matter how life plays out and to do all this under such solemn covenanent in the Temple. Can such young people comprehend so much? Who can comprehend it all? Because one can't does that mean one should stay where they are. . . afraid, unsure? It takes courage to live and to trust and to embark with your hopes on your sleeves and your heart in anothers hands. I salute them. I salute all couples who handle such delecate human matters with grace and gravity. We are here on earth to experience meaning through our interactions with each other. We cannot fully feel ours or anothers humanity/divinity without such reachings. These things are eternally significant.

A Peopled Life

Feeling rich this week with thoughts of having so many good people oscillating around me and my little family. Coming and going but never quite gone. My parents will be here in a few days to spend some one-on-one time with D&Z. I hope it will be a grandparents dream come true. I know Nathan&I will enjoy a little roadtrip with friends and some quiet hotelroom time. I hope to have a least *one* luxurious sleep in morning. The thought gives me tremors. . .

This little girl, this little girl. Vanessa, Vanessa. 7 going on 19. She and I were inseperable during our 7ish (I've lost count) years in Phila. There is a 14-year difference beween us. But due to our need for each other, we never noticed it and shared everything like best friends.

Vanessa has been at university in Provo, UT for the last 2-years and this month she will be getting married. Next week actually! Yesterday we went to the temple with her and her mom, Ini. Incredible being together, the four of us, in there. Vanessa is so amazing! Very proud of her becoming&becoming&becoming. She will be my friend for the rest of my life (& thereafter) and I really look forward to that. So reassuring, to have such loyalty from someone who knows me so well and who still loves me (!) and who will continue to experience life with me. :) Our children will be playmates! It's good, a good thing.

Congratulations Vanessa and Andrew!!

Other news, Desi's bestbuddy Thomas is leaving NYC this weekend for a house&yard&better public schools in Princeton, NJ. Sounds quite lovely sometimes. . . love the idea of Princeton, even if it is in NJ. ;) My time hasn't come yet though and I'm content (er, perhaps I should say, "hasn't come again" as I've tried the house thing before and failed miserably at it in Philadelphia). But it is hard to see people go that you've become accustomed to and especially the combustive duo that Des and Thom were. Mara and I were endlessly pleased and surprised to see our children, at such a young age, find common interests and become so quickly affectionate and attached to each other. Mara has written about it in her blog, where she aptly notes their interests centered largely around consensual skirmishes and fists. Mara, I will miss our own sharing of ideas on all topics: literature, spirituality, politics, food, technology, film, etc, etc, etc. Love talking and laughing with you and sorry we never had the time to talk more and do all we'd talked about doing! Sushi! Anime! Anyway. . .

Rear Window

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

We LOVE you dear GRANDMOTHERS!!

Click Here to view pics from APRIL.

In honor of Mothers Day, I've posted losta pics and stories below

So keep scrolling down lotsa news

On Mothers Day

Today started with laughter at about 3am when I found, upon entering the bathroom, that Nathan had untied my old shower curtain and hung a new, rather goofy, matronly aquatic one in its place.

For the "card" he and the babes had painted shower caps, which he then taped onto the shower curtain, there were 3 spelling out: Happy Mothers Day. I have no idea what his source of inspiration was but when I returned to the bed and leaned in to see if he was awake, which he was, we shared a very good laugh. Priceless. I love nathanpjones!!! He helps me not take things so seriously. Saturday, while in the glorious thick of laundry and other domestic duties, I was astonished to receive a huge bouquet of flowers! Who would send me flowers (it surely wasn't npj, not his style)? I opened the card and couldn't have been more surprised to find a lovely little message of love from my sister HAILEY!! Glorygloryglory!!! Feeling the LOVE!!! Thank you mysister. Love having sisters -- among lifes richest blessings.


Another are my children. Unfortunately, Des has been extraordinarily difficult (in a way he usually isn't) today. An excess of whining and crying over little minor things. Trying to get out the door this a.m. for church nearly brought me to tears! The walk home from church was full of more tears and high pitched reiterations . . . and then the little mother's helper voice inside of me whispered: BENEDRYL. I usually only drug my children on long transcontinental flights . . . but the stinging irony of such lousy behaviour on such a day as this seemed to equalize with the prospect of drug enforced slumber (he clearly needed a nap). An appropriate dose was duly administered (he loves medicine, he enjoyed it) and now there is peace as I blog this entry. So what does this say about me and my motherhood? Practically speaking? Not sure, but I'm lovin' the sympathetic inner voice. Happy Mothers Day to me!

Here are some pics from more idyllic days:

Des and the ducks

Zoe and her apple

Anticipating bathtime

New cowboy boots

I love her!