ari and the number two

oh, and tomorrow is ari's second birthday...unbelievable to me.

i will be celebrating by reading the 8 page birth story that i wrote 2 years ago. his birthday present from me will come later, since it is a book documenting his second year (including his b-day party, which will be next weekend). his second present from me is a stick horse that i made him & will post a picture of because, well, i'm a little proud of it

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so...ari does still exist AND is still adorable, per usual

sadly (for whom, i'm not sure, i am simply assuming that we have some blog-followers), ari's blog has been neglected for a few months. honestly, it would be a little too overwhleming to try & catch up on all of ari's adventures so i will refer anyone who is interested, to look at his more recent pics on picasa...

so, some general updates on ari for those dying to know:

1. ari loves the color pink & sees it everywhere. sometimes orange gets tricky, but it's his second fave, so it's cool
2. he continues to love music, play music, and dance often. he receives a variety of music lessons on a regular basis from wonderful friends
3. ari is an avid & talented disc golfer. he loves throwing the discs into the "hoopie" and is actually decent at it. for a kid.
4. he is missing his rat tail now. it has been severed, so no more dreads in the back. but he doesn't really look like he's had a haircut yet, so don't get too excited.
5. narrating EVERYTHING that he does is apparently really cool & fun. fortunately, i'm around him often enough that i can interpret for others who are not down with his lingo
6. ari is the only household member thrilled about having ants in the house. now he can "push buggies" (squash ants) anytime he wants.
7. "i draw. i draw" is a well-used phrase. and if he asks you to draw something for him, it will likely be an apple. or a ball.
8. if you do something cool, he says "nice!"
9. dogs continue to fascinate him to no end
10. he loves his friend, tallulah, deeply - they are kinda like twins

enow! enow!

what a perfect morning! after enjoying a late night party with the appropriate theme 'white out,' i woke up to ari repeating 'enow, enow' (snow) with mary and jake, who had spent the night, along with chuck and jared (and, of course, our roomie, aiyana). it was snowing for the first time in portland this year and it was quite cold. consequently, it became evident that it was a perfect morning for a banana pancake breakfast with friends and playing in the snow. ari asked for a ride in his wagon, so mary and his dad walked around the yard in circles continuously until he was finally cold enough to come back in for warm food. we tolerated the snowy wagon ride since it could almost pass as a sled.

white out (with a dash of silver & grey)

who needs mittens, really?

thanx thanx thanx

i have so much and so much more to be thankful for: i am thankful everyday to wake up and see little ari's smile, so thankful to have loving family and many generous, beautiful friends who ARE my family (and occasionally room mates, too!); i am thankful EVERY night to have a warm, safe home and food for my family. i am especially grateful for my health and the privilege to be going to school - working toward my own personal goals. i recognize everyday that i have been given many more privileges than others and i hope to never take that for granted, to always strive to promote respect and equality and humanity. i am grateful beyond belief (literally, belief) that i have so many caring people in my life that have gracefully eased into the role of ari's caregiver at one time (or many) or another when i have needed help. i couldn't imagine that, without every single influence, ari could have a more enriched or blessed life. he has so many bff's! i know that it is because of everyone's strength and support that i am able to be present each day and enjoy life with my beautiful, funny, charismatic ari mateo. happy (late) thanxgiving.

matching boots with pam

roomie jennifer is back again!
oops...whip cream before turkey
just doing what i do best...

mary and i!
i want to be like chuck!

democracy in action

step 1: get excited to vote

step 2: get outside, walk down the street with ballot in hand

(smiling contentedly or whistling encouraged)

step 3: locate the nearest ballot drop-off site

(anticipatory dance optional)

step 4: mindfully slip sealed, signed ballot envelope into secured box

step 5: give some dap to the person nearest you

bonus tip: choose a site that hands out candy, even to toddlers

halloween is for losers...psych!

how we prepare for & celebrate halloween:

gutting the pumpkins

putting the extracted seeds back into the pumpkins

peeking around pam's pumpkin

spooky ari on halloween night

we like to dress up in junk

autumn ari is awesome

i always forget how much i love autumn until it arrives: the abundant harvest (translation: delicious soups & hearty meals), the brisk mornings and cold evenings, the colorful outdoors, and fun sweaters (& hats). ari makes autumn even more wonderful and so i thought i would share a few pictures that really make me smile:

see? smiling already - even though the picture is blurry

sharing free pizza on an afternoon walk feels so nice

who wouldn't want to wake up to this every morning?!

how is he so cool?

sweet birthday morning hugs from my favorite little person