Imitation is one of life’s biggest compliments, right? Here’s Sophia trying to imitate smiling — naturally. Fear not, we’re not trying to coach her for child modeling. Although…. no, no, we’re not.
Here she is smiling on command…
Here is a slightly more refined smile… after some coaching …
… and …
Nothing beats the real thing!
You’ll have to excuse the phone photography and overlook the bruise on the lip and nose… sigh.
This Sunday morning happened to have also been Mother’s day; Left to our own devices – we let spontaneity rule and ended up having a glorious day. Sophia “wrote” me a Mother’s day card and so did my husband — her’s was a little more … abstract. While reading admiring her card, I couldn’t help but think about just how fortunate I am to have her in my life.
I have done quite a bit of thinking in the past few days on mothering, parenting, co-parenting, grand-parenting. On Mother’s Day in particular, I couldn’t help but think about the enormous responsibility it is to mother (not just be a mother). And then it happened — a small wish with an enormous meaning. My dad is not a man of many words. Though he is a colonel and appears stoic on the outside, he’s really a big teddy bear. He said to me yesterday that I was loved before, but am loved so much more, if that is even possible, because I gave him and my mom the ultimate gift (Sophia). Those words, so poignant, so touching helped me realize that Sophia is who she is, where she is and how she is BECAUSE of me and NOT DESPITE me. So take note, people. 🙂
Here are some snapshots from the day …
Charcoal-grilled skirt steak marinated in a lime-scallion marinade served with baby tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad
Strawberry-rhubarb crumble with orange essence
Dinner served on a tablecloth purchased in Provence in 2007, flowers are azaleas from my own yard in a small vase my mom gave me…
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Believe you me — I didn’t want a big to-do. I thankfully didn’t have a big party… and lets face it: putting thirty candles on a cake may have set it and the house on fire. Sisters think alike that way you see, and that is why my sister baked not just one cake for me, but two. She realized that putting all those candles on one is a fire hazard 🙂 and decided to divide the candle burden so to speak.
I know, you are dying to get all the details on the cakes. The chocolate one is a four layer cake with ganache filling and poured chocolate on top. That beauty right there just became my all-time favorite. The non-chocolate cake is a russian napoleon cake that consists of well over a dozen layers with a vanilla custard filling and crumb topping. Can’t go wrong with that — trust me.
Party or not, but a family dinner is de rigueur when hubby and I are visiting. Besides baking the cakes, my sister also marinated meats for the most succulent BBQ. My dad grilled. There were several side-dishes that my mom made while I played with Sophia… there is never a shortage of delicious foods when we visit my family. Despite the casualness of it all, I was happy to know that (Sophia, hubby and) I mattered and that people made time for us on a Friday night.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
