Ballet

Jasmine started ballet class last week. She already rocks my world at gymnastics and now this. There is no greater joy for me than watching her determined efforts at trying new things. Learning mastery. Connecting with her body. Listening to instruction. What is more mystifying to me is how working parents manage to fit in the activities of more than one child. Seriously, I am not capable of that much sacrifice. I need time to get my own daily exercise and I know that means that Jasmine spends more time in preschool than I would like. But for me, this is not a luxury so much as it is a necessity. That means that with weekly gymnastics, ballet and speech lessons and 2 working parents, our plates are full. It's GREAT! Tiring but great.

My blue fairy

Oh my, she has a hold of my heart. Wrapped around her little finger. I did not have a hand in dressing her for our morning walk. She pays great attention to detail and on a good day she prefers to match.

We still only have one dog, but Jasmine insisted that we each carry our own leash.

I'm sorry for all of you suffering in the cold and the snow. We're in the midst of a spring-like indulgence--our bulbs are starting to poke their heads above ground to see if it's really true. I'm not sure how long it will last but we are rapturous at every opportunity to be outdoors.

We may be busy but we're still having some fun

A glimmer of a weekend in Tahoe, sledding with cousins.

We're definitely going through a big life transition with our work schedules, but we are grateful for all the ways in which we are blessed.

More to come....

Thanksgiving Day

We're still alive, haven't completely disappeared from the face of the earth. But since coming back from our trip life has been happening at warp speed and we are trying to catch our collective breath. Jasmine, on the other hand, hasn't missed a beat.
Within a couple of weeks of our return from Ireland, Shane was offered a new job with a different company. With barely enough time to consider his options, he has been whisked away to Florida for a 10-day work trip. I can hardly wait to wrap my arms around him tomorrow when he arrives back home. In the meantime, my mom came up to help me last week for a few days by staying home with Jasmine on those days that Shane was normally home with her. We were so grateful to have her here with us.

I tell ya, I don't know how those single, working parents do it. It's not that it's not do-able, it's just hard. I feel like there's never enough time, mostly not enough time to be with Jasmine during my work week. Thankfully I don't work on Fridays so J and I try to make every minute count of our 3 day weekend. Still, there's a lot to do and I find myself having to slow down to not expect my 3 year old to operate at the same pace as me.

We have much to be thankful for this year, and we will be happy to count our blessings on Thanksgiving Day.

The streets of Dublin

Jasmine took to city life with aplomb and perfect ease. The bustle, the quick pace on every block, the bus stops and the walking, it all came naturally to her. She really has no sensory issues at all and seems to fit in regardless of the environment. I suspect most children are naturally flexible, but I also believe that Jasmine was exuberant to have both parents within arm's reach 24/7, and this contributed to her daily joyfulness. Our usual routine does not generally consist of long weekends together. Every family day we have is cherished by all.

We didn't capture nearly as many pictures as I would have liked of this thousand year old city, with its glorious and symbolic statues, majestic River Liffey and beautiful architecture. My camera, upon arrival, decided to function intermittently, truly on a whim. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't. I was happy we came home with any photos at all.

Shane was the official pram-pusher. We often walked from one far end of the city to his childhood home, several miles away. Jasmine would sleep through the chaos around her just long enough to keep her wits about her, then she would typically end up on my back for the duration of the walk home. It's a fantastic experience to be walking the streets of Dublin with a Dubliner tour guide. This is my fourth trip to Ireland with Shane, and each time we revisit the jaunts of his youth, the memories of his earlier life.

It was a dream come true for Shane to be in his native land with his wife and daughter.

Dublin has changed dramatically in the 20 years since Shane emigrated to the U.S. What was once a homogenous population has exploded with diversity and sophistication. We happened upon a little strip in the heart of the city, right off the quays, that was a modest "little Italy." There were several restaurants and cafes in a row, all with Italian menus and bonafide Italian staff. Since I lived in Italy for a year while in college, it's always a treat to practice a few simple Italian exchanges, even if it's just "due panini, per favore". And Shane and I both have a special affinity for all things Italian, having traveled there together not once but twice in our 10 year relationship. We do love a good espresso. Jasmine would take Italy by storm...

Killiney

Killiney is south of Dublin along the coast. It's a quick ride on the DART and one of the best deals around--35 minutes and a few euro each and we were out on the seashore.
A view from the train station, only significant in that the 2 main estates on the hillside belong to Bono and Enya.
Jasmine saw the sand and literally dropped to her bottom and stayed put.
I posed for a moment but I was transfixed by the smooth, perfectly shaped rocks strewn across the beach. Jasmine and I collected enough to fill a small bag and we've been playing with them ever since.

Eventually we convinced her to run and play along the beach. I'm imagining this beach is a place where many a song was composed, given it's the backyard of famous musicians.

We grabbed a bite to eat in an overpriced restaurant afterwards. At least the Guiness was good...