pink pajama mama

Cathy and I took Henry and Annabelle to the French Quarter today to watch the Stella shouting contest that is the climax of the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. I’ve always wanted to attend, but have never made it, but today was the perfect day–no humidity, no extreme heat–crisp air, a brilliantly sunny day–no clouds, blue sky–incredible day in New Orleans. We looked at the street artists–we liked the mermaids–and had beignets at Cafe Du Monde. We climbed and played and got balloon animals and the babies got their faces painted. Henry was a wolf boy, Annabelle was a butterfly.Stella stood in a retro slip on the balcony of a Pontalba apartment while a group of aspiring Stanleys geared up to shout their hearts out, fall to their knees, while tearing their shirts. Soooo funny I was crying! Most of the contestants were guys who had too much to drink and happened to be walking by the contest. One was a woman dressed as a pirate carrying a chihuahua, one was a woman dressed as a clown. It’s the end of pirate week in New Orleans–only in New Orleans. And this is why I love New Orleans.I couldn’t help but wonder what the kids thought as they watched these grown men act out this scene. I knew it would start cropping up in their play, and sure enough, on the way home, Henry started shouting Stella from his car seat and pretending to tear at his shirt. I can’t stop laughing around here. 

OK, I elect two year old Henry as messiest toddler of the year. This afternoon, he was eating a chocolate ice cream cone which is only allowed in the kitchen. I saw him through the crack of the door toddling down the hall with his cone. I watched him drop it upside down, squat down to pick it up, but then change his mind and get down on all fours where he promptly began eating it like a puppy. I was brushing my teeth, so I continued, realizing I’d just have to clean it up in a minute. When I re-emerge, he says, “Mama, I’m ice skating!” And he is. He’s ice skating through a large patch of melted smooshed ice cream which now covers him from forehead to toes, including between his adorably pudgy toes. He has smeared chocolate ice cream all over the walls as he’s hanging onto the wall and it’s all over his hands.After I clean up him and that mess, I hear a big ruckus in the hallway as I’m putting Annabelle’s hair in a ponytail. Next thing I know, he’s dumped out a paper bag full of books in the hallway and is stumbling into the bathroom with the bag on his head.He is our little hero though. The other morning Annabelle saw a roach down near the front door. She came running back up to me and said, “Mama! Mama!! I saw a real cucuracha!! I feel like I ate butterflies!”Henry was playing quietly by himself, but as soon as he heard her, he was off to the rescue. A few minutes later I heard him shout “I dot it mama!!”  ”You got what?” I replied.”I dot the bug!”I ran down the stairs and sure enough he had killed this giant hard shelled prehistoric creature WITH ANNABELLE’S TINY PINK CROC that must weigh less than an ounce!! I have no idea how he did this. When George gets them, he uses his own giant shoe and smacks it about 10 times. Not Henry, he used a tiny little pink shoe.This of course sent Annabelle into hysterics and I had to spray her shoe with antibacterial spray. Always an adventure around here! 

Well, it happened–I’m really 40 years old!! Who would have thought I’d ever reach this milestone?! I feel fabulous! I’m exactly where I want to be, living my impossible dream–absolute bliss with henry and Annabelle and George, living in exotic New Orleans and the beautiful Martha’s Vineyard, a family I adore, incredible friends…I had the perfect birthday–friends, family, skiing, laughing, sitting in the hot tub with dear girlfriends, a huge dinner and hilarious talent show with my family, laughing with George, a beautiful cake, the cutest funniest kids running around–not to mention an impromptu trip to Tiffany’s in San Francisco and coming home with the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen!! Very sparkly, very retro, very glamorous but not ostentatious.I’ve jumped back into my love of roller skating. I put on my ear phones and dress pink and sparkly and head to the park nearly every day for a 4 mile roller whirl–beyond fabulous! Makes me crave pink bubble gum and root beer lip gloss.Am I 40 or 14? Sometimes it’s hard to tell… especially with my pink knee socks.