re:defined: a week in review

here i am!

today dave asked me if i was going to write a blog about not writing a blog and wanting to write a blog. haha, funny. i really miss writing when i don't have time to, and i get all ornery and frustrated. so i'm back, which is better for everyone, really :)

here are the highlights from this past week:

a massage on wednesday. i have a tendency to hang onto things that involve relaxing or pampering- waiting for some elusive, perfect time to use them. example- the manicure and pedicure that someone gave me as a gift right after elias was born. yeah, that was almost 3 years ago. go ahead, ask me if i've used it. but anyway, davey got me a massage for our four year anniversary in november (again, with the holding on to things) and he just went ahead and scheduled it for me, knowing me as he does. it was a REALLY great massage. much needed. one of those every week would do a mom some serious good, eh?

a photoshoot for elias and pip friday. with lindsey, photographer extraordinaire. and i'm not joking about her skills. it's crazy how good she is. and the pictures-- they're so good i can barely stand it. i don't have all of them yet, but here's a couple to tide you over. a picture post with more of these photos is coming soon:

elias being a "frock star!"

mystery date for march friday night. dave and our friend ian have decided they are going to plan mystery dates once a month for their wives (ie, me and elya). now- this is a brilliant idea. i LOVE surprises. have i mentioned this? ;) it doesn't have to be anything fancy, but it has to be planned and arranged by the husband. and all i have to do is show up...AND i get to go OUT! i always ask for clues, which is a mistake because dave always lies to me and tells me contradictory and ridiculous clues, so there's no use, but i ask anyway because i'm, i don't know, a glutton for punishment. the clues this time were "bring a potato peeler" and "it involves timing." actually, he gave me one legitimate clue. he took me to see duplicity with clive owen and julia roberts (on the day it was released, hence the timing). and i love clive owen. LOVE. he could read me the phone book an i'd love it. so see it. it was clever...i really liked it. yay for mystery dates!

benjamin's birthday party on saturday. my friend amber and i met in college, and we found ourselves married with a couple kids all of a sudden, so we like to playdate whenever possible. she lives in rockport on the north shore, and i'm in raynham on the south shore, so typically we'll meet halfway in boston and go to the children's museum, or the artesani playground and pool in brighton (don't worry- only in the summer). i miss her when i don't see her, and i love that she's my excuse to go into the city. so dave and i took the kids up to rockport to celebrate "jamin's" 2nd birthday. i realized "whoa- putting a bunch of kids under 3 in a room together is kind of crazy." elias had a lot of fun, though. and i finally got to see their new home. (it was lovely, by the way. of course. amber has good taste.) so that was a nice saturday family excursion.

tortellini soup on monday. i love mondays. mondays are dave's day off, and this one was particularly productive yet leisurely. i've had a recipe by tyler florence for tortellini soup i've wanted to try since i randomly saw it on oprah. dave and i played with the kids and chopped vegetables and chatted and enjoyed some time in the kitchen together. usually one of us cooks while the other does something else, but cooking together is way fun when you can do it. and the soup was really hearty and delicious. try it.

a surprise birthday party for elya tuesday night. now- i'm not a planner. truly. but when it comes to surprises-- i just love them. so i'll even plan and coordinate. maybe i'm more of a coordinator, and just not a planner. hmm. i'll have to think about that. anyway, we surprised elya with a house full of friends, some nice cupcake decorating- thanks to deanna, who likes "activities," and a little mad gab. good fun. i did a little painting project to make a birthday sign with my niece madison on sunday, and on tuesday, elias and i did some baking. mostly, elias did a lot of licking, but he's got great pouring skills, so he was technically a help.