Mr. Brutus... you're the answer to our prayers!

We had a pet turtle once.

His name was Mr. Brutus and he wandered into our lives about two years ago when we saw him in the middle of our street. Firoze built him a little house in our yard and we stocked it with all kinds of turtle treats, like organic lettuce. Devon loved him and held him and visited him all day long.

Well, it lasted about 2 days and Mr. Brutus scaled the cement block walls like Spider Man and he "flew the coop." It was a sad, sad day that we went to visit Mr. Brutus and his little turtle home was empty.

That was almost 2 years ago now and every day since, Devon has prayed for Mr. Brutus and asked God to take care of his turtle. When people come to visit and we say grace before a meal, the prayer always ends with Devon saying "and don't forget to tell God about Mr. Brutus!" Pretty much everyone that has eaten with us has had to pray for Mr. Brutus, whether they even knew anything about that turtle or not.

Well, last week Devon's prayers were answered and Mr. Brutus showed up on our sidewalk and this little boy was literally jumping up and down screaming with happiness (and this kid is not a screamer!).

So, instead of doing all the things I was supposed to be doing to get ready for work (things like brushing my hair and putting on matching clothes), instead I spent the entire morning outside watching a turtle. And it was good.



Obviously Mr. Brutus has been all over Atlanta for the past two years, so he just wanted to take it easy and rest a while in our yard.



And Devon was so happy to crouch next to his friend, not moving and not talking for 45 minutes.



At first Dean was happy to sit and eat dirt and leaves while I took lots of pictures of Devon and Mr. Brutus, until Devon pointed out his cool turtle and suddenly all Dean wanted to do was EAT Mr. Brutus! I didn't take pictures of this because I was trying to juggle my expensive camera, while chasing a toddler and trying not to step on Mr. Brutus!



This was a morning full of JOY all around. God answers prayers people! It was worth showing up to work without brushing my hair. :)

Sidenote...

Earlier this week I gave Devon and Dean haircuts. I cut all Dean's curls off. His beautiful curls were turning into a little bit of a Carrot-Top-fro in this sweltering heat. So, I chopped them off and suddenly, he looked so grown up...





My baby... where did you go? Tear...

Dinner Challenge

Last week I gave myself a challenge...

To make a delicious, fresh, homecooked meal 5 nights in a row.

Ok, here's the thing... I can't do everything 100% of the time. It's easy to read a blog and think "who does she think she is?" and giving your best Martha-Stewart-isn't-the-cat's-pajamas smirk. When I cook, I'm usually a little stressed because there are literally 10 things going on in the house at the same time as dinner preparation. I don't have a cute apron on and my kitchen looks like this:



So before you read about all this amazing food and you get mad at me, let me just be super clear... I can't do it all.

Some weeks I am the perfect mother, whipping up organic pureed baby food. Other weeks, Dean is eating Gerber.

Some weeks, the creativity is flowing and I'm making an invitation to a party, or dreaming up ideas to decorate the house, or I'm taking lots of pictures of the boys. Other weeks, I'm just barely functioning and trying to get from one chore to the next and the list seems to double every time I cross another thing off.

Some weeks, I'm making the world's best paper aquarium with Devon. We are reading 10 books a day and I'm teaching him dinosaur species from morning til' night. And then other weeks, I'm asking him to "please read quietly" and telling him "mama's busy and I can't tell you about that dinosaur right now." And those weeks I see the little bit of dissappointment in his eyes.

Sometimes it all just seems overwhelming and I have to pick one thing to be really good at. Can anyone really do it all? Hmmm... I think you always have to sacrifice one thing to do another well. Motherhood is trying to balance your efforts and to try and juggle those balls and keep everyone happy.

So, back to my dinner challenge. After eating way too much takeout, I tried to make it a game and to see if I could do all the grocery shopping on one day and to spend less than $100 to feed us for 5 nights. Well, my total came to $74 (and that was including two gallons of milk, breakfast food, 5 days of work lunches, baby food and kids snacks too!) and here is what I made...

Day 1

Breaded Tilapia Tenders with homeade lemon dill tartar sauce (easy sauce: mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice, minced dill pickles, garlic, salt & pepper). On the side, rice pilaf and summer salad (greens, feta cheese, tomato, peppers, onion, and black olives).

Day 2

Chicken Legs, Cuban Style (marinated in Mojo, broiled until Crispy). On the side, saffron rice. Somebody ate my grilled flatbread that was supposed to be in the picture... Oops, maybe it was me!

Day 3

Barefoot Contessa's Raw Tomato Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta. The tomatoes are to-die-for! You marinate them for hours in olive oil, red wine vinegar, sliced garlic, basil, and lots of salt and pepper. Then you toss them with hot buttered pasta and a full cup of freshly grated Parmesan. I added the grilled shrimp!

Please, let's take another look at those tomatoes!


Day 4

I cheated. I fell off the wagon. I called home about an hour before leaving work and Firoze said "do you want me to get dinner?" I didn't even pause. I said "pizza sounds so good." My fav, fav, fav pizza is the very thin woodfired pizza from Shorty's. This one was topped with chicken and served with at least 3 cups of arugula salad. Have I told anyone lately that I am addicted to arugula?

Day 5

Tuscan style navy beans, simmered for hours with fresh rosemary, sage and thyme. Also in the pot... sausage, spinach, onions, garlic, celery, peppers, tomatoes! Seriously yummy! Even better with good wine! For a brief moment, we were fireside in Tuscany, sipping our wine and sopping up the warm garlicky juices with this...


Good bread! Thank God for garlic bread. Mmmmmmmmmmm...

So, my lesson was just to do the best I can. It's possible to cook delicious food for my family, even if I have to attempt to chop vegetables with Dean on my hip, while simultaneously listing dinosaur characteristics. And if I can't do it, it's ok... there's always takeout!

Parades + Pools = Perfect 4th!

We are in the middle of summer and it is HOT.

Sweaty, sticky, icky... HOT.

The only way to truly enjoy the weather is to wake up early and to head outside as soon as the sun comes up.



You can actually breathe outside at 8am because it's only 95 degrees!



In this picture, Devon and Dean look like little carbon copies...



This weekend, we celebrated family because my parents came to town! We had to beat this oppresive heat somehow, so we headed out for a relaxing afternoon at the Piedmont Park Pool.



Rebecca and Will joined in the summer fun!



The boys loved playing in the fountains...







While the boys were having fun out of the pool, Rebecca and Will were chillin' in the whirly-pool!







After spending two days swimming and eating our way around the city, it was time to put on our Red, White and Blue!



We met up with Debbie and Bob for the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade...


We look like a pretty comfy crew, don't we? :)





The parade was the perfect thing to put us in the Patriotic mood. Other than the fact that it was at least 110 degrees, it was family fun all around.

Even Dean got patriotic with his flag waving!



He was too cute for words! He held his flag and waved it and even clapped and waved at everyone in the parade.



And Devon was in awe of all the cars and fun things to look at in the parade.



Happy July 4th everyone!! We hope you did the all-American thing and ate some great food, watched a parade or fireworks, splashed in a pool, and waved your flag! We sure did!!

Happy July 4th and God Bless America!!

Pedaling Dreams

Yesterday was a lunar eclipse... a perfect sunset... a glimpse of a rainbow. Why? Because Firoze and I actually had a day off to spend together, fancy free... an entire date day. Most people get to spend their weekends together and they don't realize how precious that time is. For us, we NEVER get to spend a weekend together, unless it is an actual holiday which means we are spending it with other people too. And that's great too, but there is nothing like being with the one you love and having nothing to do other than enjoy the hot summer day. And so we did.

We did some shopping, we pretended we were on vacation and had seafood and cocktails for lunch. We went for the free swim at the Piedmont Park Pool and it was just like we were at a resort. We thought ahead to bring magazines and a fresh smoothie and for just a few hours, it was 2004 and we were young and in love... before "the marriage and the baby carriage!" We even had an amazing dinner at Empire State South to send us into bliss. Sometimes the stars align and you are feeling the love and the restaurant only makes it all better. That was last night. The cocktails were incredible and we both kept saying "this is the best thing I have eaten in a lonnnng time." Yum! We need to go back soon.

Amazing day all around, but then there was the cherry on top...

For an entire year, I have been searching for a bike for Devon. I can't and won't pay full price for any major kids toy, so I kept wishing and hoping I would find a great deal on the PERFECT bike. With our day so nice and lazy, with no real plans, I had to make a stop at the thrift store to check and see if there was anything I had to have... and there it was... (insert the harp strings)... the little boy's bike of my dreams! It was $25, but it was PERFECT in every way. And even better... when we got home, I had to google it and see what kind of deal I had found and nearly cried a tear of happiness to find it here for $250!!!

Anyone who knows me knows that finding a great deal is my ear-to-ear grin. So, it was that much sweeter that was got to end our perfect day together by bringing Devon his first "big boy" bike!





And he just got on and rode the bike like he's been doing it his whole life. Why should I be surprised? It has training wheels. :) But, watching my boy ride his bike in the hot sun was the best thing about the whole day! Firoze and I just sat and felt that "we are sooo proud and happy, we are going to burst" feeling, just watching him ride confidently up and down the driveway.



Life is all about these moments. The first time you saw your son ride his bike. One more check mark on the big list of his life.



He was so happy, he rode his bike INSIDE the house around a little loop for a solid hour and a half before going to bed.



Oh happy day!

Father's Day or Dada's Day

Yesterday it was Father's Day. In our house, we do things a little bit Southern, so I am the "Mama" to my boys. And we are also Sri-Lankan, so Firoze is known as the "Dada" around here. I can say I am truly blessed to have someone who is so truly excited to be a Dada and shares so much of the work. Everyone knows that kids bring you joy, but they also bring extra laundry to do, extra baths to give, extra mouths to feed, and the hundreds of extra tasks required to keep them growing. I grew up with a Dad that was so creative and loving. My Dad was always making something for us, or helping us to ride our bikes on a 50 mile bike ride, or teaching me to be a speed reader, just like him. So, I have very high expecations of what a father should be. A father should be involved. He should be there for his kids and show them how much he loves them every day. Firoze is the bath giver, the king of laundry, the master bum wiper... they might not sound like it, but these are glowing titles. It's not the same as "Oscar Nominated Actor" or "Purple Heart Recipient," but it's a title that is a million more times important in our home. What good is an Oscar award winning actor going to do me, unless he can change a really dirty diaper while I'm trying to make dinner??? All that to say, I am so lucky... I have a loving husband that is the best Dada to Devon and Dean and shows them how much he loves them every single day. So, Happy Dada's Day Love!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Firoze with the boys over the past few years...

Beautiful Boy

"Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer.
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better.

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful...
Beautiful Boy.

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While you're busy making other plans.

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful...
Beautiful Boy."

- Beautiful Boy by John Lennon

This is one of my all time favorite songs. One of those songs that can consistently make me tear up. When I think about how many things are on my to-do list everyday, it makes me feel anxious at how life is passing by in a 100 mile-per-hour blur and I have to stop and take a look around at these two beautiful boys that I am blessed with...



Devon is wise and understanding beyond his years. He is my shadow, my sous chef, my kindred spirit. He is so smart and witty, but also calm and loving. He is always offering to help, always begging to be taught something, and always happy to be with us.



Dean is my little sprite. My daredevil. My scamp. My little Charlie Chaplin. He is always grinning, always looking for an adventure and completely fearless. When he turns on the charm, he has a wink in his smile and a sparkle in his eyes... a flirtatious grin just like his Dada.



And when I freeze this moment, I can only think... how blessed and lucky am I? I have everything I have ever wished for in these two beautiful boys. I'll blink my eyes and they'll have grown another inch. It just goes by too fast.



How is it possible that just the other day (it seems), Devon was just taking his first steps??? And now in just a heartbeat, Dean is here and I see these uncertain little baby steps turning into the willowy figure of my son growing so tall and handsome.



In the blink of an eye, Devon will be all grown up... I can see how fast it goes.



Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better...

Baby Steps...

These are my baby steps as a blogger... to post my first video!

How fitting that my video is of actual baby steps. :)

My sweet baby Dean is officially toddling... he's a toddler now. Just look!