Thursday, July 15, 2010

A Mother's Deceit

Anya, Elephant, and a piece of bread. This is Anya's "smile for the camera" smile. At least for today.

That stuffed animal above is an impostor. And, thankfully, my child doesn't seem to care. We've probably mentioned once or twice on this here blog Anya's "lovey", Elephant. It was purchased by her great aunt and uncle Carl and Marion when she was 7 months old. She was pretty much instantly attached to this odd stuffed animal that made farting noises when you squeezed its belly and a very fake, over the top, obviously-a-person-making-the-sound "elephant" trumpeting.

Once Chris and I realized Elephant was going to be her lovey, we started looking for a duplicate for when the original gets threadbare. About once a month for 2 years we searched without any luck and had given up hope. The thing was originally purchased at Kohls and apparently was discontinued awhile back. Anyway, about 2 weeks ago, either Chris or his parents brought up Elephant in conversation and one was magically found this time on Ebay. Maybe I'm dumb, but I paid $25 to "buy it now" for the replacement elephant. She's THAT attached to her elephant - who is now getting threadbare and no longer makes any noises.

It arrived this morning while Anya was at nanny share. When I picked her up, I told her that I took Elephant for a special bath and he's extra soft and cuddly today. She of asked what I dropped Elephant in to make him so dirty as to need a bath. I lied and told her the dirt. She came in the house, looked at him, squeezed him, and there was that farting sound. She asked why he was all of a sudden making noises again and I just pretended I didn't hear her (I'll come up with something if she asks again). And then she shrugged and took him to her room for nap time. Crisis averted!

Now to remember to switch them out once new Elephant starts getting threadbare.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Anniversary Weekend

Chris and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary over the weekend. I can't believe how quickly five years has gone by! But I guess as they say, time passes quickly when you're having fun.


Chris' parents graciously offered to take Anya overnight (and - bonus - extended it another day!) and we eagerly accepted. Being the total foodie that I am, can I tell you how awesome my husband is that he got us reservations at the Herbfarm and a night at the Willows Lodge Herbfarm suite next door?? Awesome indeed.


If you don't know what the Herbfarm is, click here and then you have my permission to drool on your keyboard.


All in all, the food was as good, creative, and expertly prepared as expected. But I think what made it more special was the overall experience. We sat at a communal table and had great conversation (one older couple that got married the day before, a younger couple celebrating a birthday, and a hedge fund guy from NJ checking off the list from the book 100 Things to Do Before You Die. Apparently the Herbfarm is part of the list). The atmosphere was casual, yet....special. We loved the tour of the garden and meeting the pigs. They introduced the entire kitchen and wait staff and the resumes were pretty impressive (Iron chef was mentioned). And there were all sorts of little touches that made it a wonderful experience. After 4 hours, honestly, we weren't really ready to leave. I could have stayed another hour chatting with the people at our table. I think the 6 glasses of wine had some involvement in that, though.


this is what we were served


The Willows Lodge was also great. They had fondue waiting for us in our room and it was a lovely place overall. Apparently they have a few other locations around the country, so I take it as a challenge to compare them all.


Anya also had a good time with grandma and grandpa. According to them, it was her best behavior on a visit with them to date. Thank you again for taking her for the weekend!



It was a very special weekend for us and a lovely way to spend our anniversary.



Friday, July 2, 2010

anya quote

Cute (or at least I think so) quote from a minute ago.

Anya was holdering her magnifying glass over her hand.

"Look, mama! My hands are big. I'm now a grownup since my hands are big now!"