doughnuts: an introduction

On our recent trip back to the States, I introduced Clover to the sprinkle doughnut.   He perfected his eating technique within minutes --which is to gobble up the icing and sprinkles and pass off the rest of the doughnut to someone else.

Once finished,  he looks around to make sure he can't help anyone finish their stray sprinkles or tasty frosting.  You know, in case a person just couldn't entirely manage that difficult task on their own.

I admit this introduction came about for a selfish reason; I was craving a doughnut.  My favorite is the buttermilk bar or the classic old-fashioned.  But in the face of fried dough and sugar, there is really quite little I would refuse. Some might call that gluttonous.  I prefer the term easy-to-please.

sightseeing for beginners

Along with the pretty views of the lake, part of the fun of going for a stroll in Geneva is hearing so many different languages being spoken. I love how international it is. There are people from all over.

Last weekend, we spent time in the shade of the tall trees near the botanical gardens. We kicked a tiny soccer ball around the grounds. We took turns sharing snacks.  

But what I really want to tell you about our walk along the shores of Lac Léman, my favorite part, is that Clover pretends to sightsee. He climbs up to look through the binoculars. He cups his hands around the coin slot, peers in and with a happy grin relates all the wonders that he sees. 

The cuteness and innocence of that makes my smile big and goofy.  

and now, you are two

I love the gap between your two front teeth.

I love the deep depths of your blue eyes.

And the way your tiny hands clasp tightly around my neck for a hug when you are tired.

I love your adorable elocution when you say yes. oui. One might think the word has nearly three syllables.

I love your excitement to wave from the window.  In the mornings, once we've given your papa all the kisses he can stand and he's headed out the door, you hurry to push your chair up to the window. You scramble up to your perch to wave and smile at him as he drives off to work.

I love the way you transform a stick or really anything into a cane and pretend to hobble about. Where did you learn that?

And your laughter, especially when you are being tickled. I love that laugh. Pure joy.

I love you and now, you are two. Happy birthday, Clover.

chicken little

We left New York behind to go and see my parents in the Pacific Northwest. They took such good care of us. A major highlight for Clover was the beautiful garden that my mom keeps. Not to mention the 8 week old chickens she was taking care of. Clover wanted to visit them about fifteen times a day.   The big hit was to get to feed them.   As he held out grasses and leaves they like to eat, he'd say in his tiny voice, "nom nom nom."

Rain or shine he wanted to go out and say hello. And my parents were kind enough to oblige him.

kick back

Oh you happy boy. You hardly stay still. Your smiles are bigger and your laughter louder than ever before. We are so lucky to have you.

on the board

Lately when we've gone on a walk through the village,  Clover steers us in one certain direction, just so he can try to get one foot in the local cheese shop. On a recent family stroll, we actually needed to pick up some cheeses. The little man was over the moon that he got to visit and even peek behind the counter.   The owners of the store are sweet. They find Clover to be rather charming, which is fortunate since he likes to visit them any chance he gets.

They stock their shop with regional, artisanal cheeses and are passionate about their offerings. It's always fun to see what's available.  We opted for a bleu from Piedmont to change things up and a Tomme de Savoie for the sure favorite; both are wonderful.  What's your cheese of choice these days? 

hearts for all

We wish you lots of love, today and everyday.

baby bird

 Little blue-eyed boy, you are joyful and sweet, inquisitive and mischievous.

Everyday you climb a little higher, run a little faster, and make our lives infinitely sweeter.

mini musician

There is no shortage of musical instruments in our home. Clover plucks guitar strings with Félix or they play the piano together, the pint-size pianist sitting on his papa's lap. The little man likes to tap out notes on his xylophone and bang away on the tambourine. However, he has shown a certain affinity for this old, J. Richard organ, but after watching a bit closer, I found it is not so much for the organ’s musical merits. Clover has deemed it the perfect hiding spot for his toys, tucking them in a hard-to-reach space behind the  wooden foot pedals and when he plays on the keys it is merely intended to distract prying eyes from discovering his secret stash. Sneaky, little music man, very sneaky.

spearmint & snowflakes

It has been snowing non-stop here for the past week and more is on the way for the weekend. It looks like it will be a very white Christmas. What a gift. Speaking of fun gifts, guess who is featured over on Spearmint Baby today? Take a look if you like!

the clementine caper

              

Remember this post ? I snapped a picture for it while Clover was having his afternoon snack. I thought it would be a simple, quick photo session but the little guy had other plans because I was only two photos in when his tiny hand came into the frame...just to help tweak the arrangement ever so slightly.

He helped himself to the rest of the clementines.

And found this to be absolutely hilarious...

and then, he got down to the serious business of throwing them about...

And I am so glad that he did because it makes these photos much sweeter than the original.