CONTEXT

recently, jose the doorman has taken to calling huck 'brandon.'

it is possibly the weirdest thing going on in my life these days and i am devoting quite a bit of thought to it. 

for instance: am i a terrible person for not correcting him? did something happen to jose and he has lost his short-term memory? should i be concerned? is he teasing somehow and i'm not getting it? is possibly jose's brain stuck in some kind of weird looping pattern?

do i worry too much about embarrassing him, and that's why i won't correct him? or do i just really hate small talk that much? 

because i am quite capable of telling a person my entire life story and each of my innermost thoughts, even when they are scandalously unthought-out, just so long as i don't have to make awkward small-talk later. oh bother. i am typing with one hand (nursing) and as such it is possible none of this is making any sense.

in any case.

today my sister in law sent us a package of cinnamon bears from the byu bookstore today. it was incredibly exciting, as you shall see.

and then i went to book club.

ON THE PLAYGROUND IS WHERE I SPENT MOST OF MY DAYS

we've been going to playgrounds a few times a week all summer with friends, though huck hasn't really big enough to do much of anything while we were there except look cute. (he's really, really good at it) plus we were always there with older friends, who he was content to watch and occasionally he'd try to put a leaf in his mouth.

the other day we decided to take the whole family to the baby playground up the way from our usual place and try out the swings. and the slide. take things at huck's speed. it was really funny to escort him around and try out all the slides with him. i can't believe how much fun kids have on those slides. they're terrifying! especially that rolling one, it hurt like a mother.

ouch.

(me and that cute girl are twinners in our overalls!)

does it really have to get cold now?? :(

FOR US EARLY AUTUMN BABIES

it is a little bit perfectly cold outside.

today is the last official day of summer.

our holbsypooh is turning thirty and four tomorrow.

it must be birthday season!

this year we are welcoming a new holbrook into birthday season. welcome sir henry!

here is how the holbrook house birthday season works:

1. the holbsaddy's birthday comes first. we're supposed to be happy that he was born, but NOT overly happy, and we are NOT to buy him extravagant presents, and we are NOT to throw him a birthday party, and we are NOT to make a big deal out of it, but also NOT make NOT ENOUGH of a big deal out of it. good luck to you with this. heavens knows i never get it quite right.

2. mama's birthday is next. you are to sleep in as long as possible, bring her birthday presents in bed, tell her she looks pretty at least once, and when you go out to eat you should order all the dishes she thinks looks good so she can taste all of them, because ordering at restaurants totally stresses her out. it's pretty simple. 

3. huck's birthday! eat lots of cake. and let mama fawn all over you and wistfully stroke your face and talk about when you were still so itty bitty and give her lots and lots of cuddles. and share your toys with your friends.

see? easy.

WELCOME TO BIRTHDAY SEASON, HUCK! 

(something tells me huck's birthday is going to trump all the rest of ours from here on out.)

birthday seasons past right here.

TO DO IN NEW YORK: CENTRAL PARK BOATHOUSE

"believe me, my young friend, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as messing about in boats!"

-the wind in the willows

fun thing to do on a saturday afternoon when the weather's nice:

1. rent boats from the central park boathouse with some friends (thanks, soukups!)

2. paddle around for a bit

3. wish you'd brought bread to feed the ducks

4. spot some turtles

5. race to see who's boat is fastest

6. paddle under the tunnel and kiss your lover

7. if you're a baby, fall asleep in yer mama's arms

8. paddle back as fast as you can before your hour's up

the central park boathouse
open 10AM till dusk, april-november
in the park near west 72nd street

AMELIE'S SCHNIPPERS OF BUMBO

the fact is, this week has been tough.

the huckles and i, we still have this lingering cold. i thought it was allergies, and it probably is, but today i decided to upgrade it to a cold, as is my right. by tomorrow it will likely have become botulism, and what of me then?

and i realized this morning that it has now been a full week since i got more than two hours of sleep in one shot. that's impressive! i like to entertain myself sometimes by reminding myself that there are sleep deprived people in china who'd be happy with two hours, or something. i mean, this is a recession.

but then friday brandon got the afternoon off after working marathon hours at work this week. and oh boy was his redly-ness a sight for sore eyes. i even asked him in the elevator, "have you always been this handsome?" to which he replied, "no, i think you are just ovulating."

how did he know?

we went for burgers at schnippers. oh schnippers of my desires! schnippers is a funny name and it makes me think of boobs.

this time around i was getting the DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER because I WAS NOT MESSING AROUND. brandon ordered onion rings but look, i'm not one to judge.

that double cheeseburger was, well. 

but first i had to return my bumbo. 

i found my bumbo on a trash pile outside my neighbor's brownstone six months ago on a terribly lucky garbage day that was also a slightly dreary tuesday. and since we no longer needed it, the poor bumbo dear, i decided to return it from whence it came. i sat it down on my neighbor's trash area with a somber "THOU HATH SERVED ME WELL, BUMBO!" i felt quite pleased with myself as we walked away. i pictured my neighbors, peeking out their brownstone windows in the moments to come, only to find that dang bumbo they thought they'd gotten rid of, scratching their heads and wondering where did it come from? and how did this happen? and what could it all mean?

it all felt rather amelie-ish, and plus i was wearing a sweater (sweater weather). 

amelie with a bumbo in the fall!

yes please.