home & birthdays

(the view of our orange tree in our backyard from an upstairs window)

slowly but surely our backyard is happening

and becoming a place where we can hang out, play, eat, be.

(that makes me happy)

i always hope that our home will be a haven and a place of rest for us and anyone who visits

even though we live in a not-so-peaceful neighborhood in the middle of a gritty city.

so the fact that it is hopefully evolving into that makes my heart full.

this week

m turns five.

what!?!

so yesterday she announced it was her birthday week.

i guess if mommy and daddy get to celebrate birthday week she figures she gets to, too.

any ideas on what fun or mischief we can have before friday to celebrate her birthday?

big or little ideas?

can you believe this little one 

is now not so little?

speaking of birthdays (and of back in the day when m was a baby)

today is the birthday of my dear, but too-far-away, friend daphne.

(here she is holding little m when she was about 6 months old!)

a. grateful to have a friend like her, even though i wish she lived closer
b. her blog is really great if you are looking for new nuggets of wisdom