Lovely

And we all breathe a collective sigh...........I loved it, did you?  It was beautiful and joyful and peaceful and everything opposite of what is normally on the news and t.v.  William and Kate did not disappoint in their reputation of being a normal couple.  Sure they had 1,900 wedding guests and his granny is the Queen, but their actions spoke to who they are - two people who fell in love in college and want their happily ever after.  Doesn't that sound like the rest of us?

Doing our official critique during the wee hours of the morning, the votes are in (just two votes actually) and here is what Caroline and I decided:

for best hat (after much discussion and changing of our minds)-

Her Majesty the Queen.  Simple, great color, and for 85 years old, she ran rock a hat.  There were many gorgeous hats, but in our respect for the Queen, we give her the nod.

Worst hat (no discussion needed)- when Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie emerged from their car channeling Cinderella's stepsisters, Caroline's exact words were "oh, no, no, no."

Favorite moments - the stolen glances.  Their love for each other was so obvious and so refreshing.

Favorite moment of all: drum roll please.

The Aston Martin ride.  Let's just take Dad's car back to his house to change.  Awesome.  And love how William's friends put the "L" on the front that means learner, or in the states, student driver.

Happy Life you crazy kids!  Thanks for the beautiful show!

Why Kate with a K for a Catherine with a C?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love London.  Sadly, I have only been there once (so far!)  Long before I made the long-awaited trip across the pond, I knew I would love it.  Every time I saw a fabric in a magazine, a sweater in a catalog, a toy on a store shelf that I absolutely loved, they all seemed to be of British origin.  I love the architecture, the tradition and the pomp.  I was almost afraid to go visit as I feared that the real London could never live up to the image in my mind.  Then Bart went a few days ahead of me for a business trip and called me with the news that I would love it.  I arrived armed with dog-eared guidebooks and street addresses to what I was sure were going to be my new favorite haunts.  Bart was a trooper as we trekked to Designers Guild and Liberty, a fantastic little ribbon shop and Trotters to buy shoes  to take back for the children.  He understood my pilgrimage to Kensington Palace and Westminster Abbey.    We walked through the outdoor markets at Portobello Road and picked out a house in Kensington.   We visited museums and dreamed of our kiddos wearing the fabulous school uniforms seen dashing down the street.  I definitely want to go again- both alone with Bart and with my children in tow.  Except for the American-hating cab driver that drove us to the airport (which later required us giving a statement to the hotel for "an investigation"), the trip was perfect!

Along with millions of others, I will be up bright and early Friday morning, with Caroline, to watch the lovely pomp of the wedding of William and Kate.  What a beautiful couple they are, inside and out.  Just as my sister and I watched the wedding of Charles and Diana, Caroline and I will drink tea and eat yummies and ooh and ahh over every detail.  I am excited to share it with her.  So here's to a jolly good time to all of you!

I heart my newborn

We've decided to send our baby to full-day kindergarten.  Registration was a few days after the fire and in our fresh despair, we signed William up for half-day mornings.  He needed protecting from the big-bad world of kindergarten.  I wanted to wrap him in fire proof bubble wrap and not let him leave my sight.  In my mind, he looked like this:

Sure he can hold his own bottle.  I'm not so pathetic that I picture him as a newborn!  But let's face it, obviously, he still needs me.

Friday, I learned that there were two more open spots for the full-day class.  And when I opened my eyes, this is the boy I saw:

Okay, I admit that he can ride a bike without training wheels, he can swim, he can write his first and last name and maybe, just maybe, he needs full-day kindergarten.  So what if I was the last to know?  I was blinded by things like this:

I heart you too William and I will be the saddest Mommy ever when you get on that school bus.  Um, what I meant to say is that I'm thrilled you are growing up and will be a confident, happy kindergartener.

Open

Bart's spray paint rendering of the kids looking out a "window"

Today I picked out faucets and shower heads, yesterday it was the color of the island and granite and the day before that it was the stain for the hardwood floors.  I am called multiple times a day by the contractor to answer questions like "how high do you want the electrical boxes for the bathroom sconces?" and "do you want all of the kitchen can lights on the same switch?"  I wonder if I am making the right decisions.  As we count off the days in the rental house, we talk about home a lot and I wonder if when we go home, will we recognize it.

We have taken the kids to the house many times now.  The black of the fire is gone, the smell is gone too.  Its now a construction site, filled with fascinations for them.  The first time they walked in the door, Caroline yelled "we're home!" as if the house would answer.  In some ways, it did.  Standing in our shell of a house, with no walls or ceilings, no floors, no kitchen or bathrooms -  the view was the same.  Our five voices sounded the same in that space.  As Bart and I walked around taking measurements, we heard their voices playing in the house and for the first time in months, the house sounded alive.

When we move back, I will cook in a new kitchen that I do not recognize but I will look out on the same yard.  I will not recognize the bathrooms I scrub, but at night I will lay my head down in the exact same spot that I did before.  I wonder if when I close my eyes at night, I will feel 100% at home.

Caroline is singing this song in the church choir and she practices it all of the time.  Its one of my favorite songs right now.  It reminds me that I am not the one in control and that I am open to seeing the plan unfold.