Little Dash

Step One

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:20:00 +0000

Dear Dash,

I've been writing about you here since you were eight months old and were literally Little Dash. Now you're 10 (nope), nearly five feet tall and built like a linebacker. You're old enough now to make and maintain your own memories, and to be mortified if any of your friends ever found this blog. I think it's time to pack up this space and let you create your own records of your childhood (or not) from now on.

Love,
Mama

To those of you who read here who aren't Dash, I'll be documenting our family's move from LA to Kansas here: http://hellotoallthis.com/

Ten

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:30:00 +0000

When Dash was little, we literally would not allow the word "gun" to be spoken in our house. We pulled him out of a preschool because another little boy taught him to make finger guns and say "shoot." This is how we celebrated his 10th birthday. Proud moment for us as parents and left wing liberals.

Resolved

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 22:26:00 +0000

I went to look at how I managed with my 2015 resolutions and found that I didn't make any. So I'm calling it a win.

I did knit one and 1/8th sock and read twelve books, though, and I'm sure both of those would have been on the list had I made one:

My Brilliant Friend (The Neapolitan Novels, #1), by Elena Ferrante
Luckiest Girl Alive, by Jessica Knoll
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart
At Home in Mitford (Mitford Years, #1), by Jan Karon
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel
Them: Adventures with Extremists, By Jon Ronson
The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins
The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer
All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin
The End of Vandalism, by Tom Drury

2016, I'm coming for you:

Read 15 books
Reopen Fox vs. Squirrel. Inventory or no, made to order or off the shelf. However, whatever.
Pay off 3 credit cards
Go to London with the fellas
Start running again and do 3 5Ks. Don't worry about time, just run.
Indulge in a bit of vanity and deal with my face
Start and keep an art journal
Be kinder to my mother

Xmas Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 21:59:00 +0000

I don't mind admitting that I'm pretty fucking pleased with myself for this year's card.

The teardrop is a Christmas bulb.

Tea Towel 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 17:54:00 +0000

Lit

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 21:42:00 +0000

Presented without comment except to say this is the first year I put whiskey in the latte I was drinking while we did the tour and it became even more magical if that's possible.

Crazy Lady Christmas Village Close Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 18:16:00 +0000

I got a new phone and now I can take super-close-up pictures of my Crazy Lady Village! I cannot express fully how much this pleases me. (If 20-year-old me could see what she would eventually become, I'm pretty sure she'd die of sheer mortification).

Shiny

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 18:08:00 +0000

It is legit Christmas up in the Engel house. Check it:

A 10' tree is what happens when you let the 9-year-old choose.

Andre has been showing up on the regular.

Hi Dash!

Josh spent some time hanging lights and reflecting on the meaning of Christmas T-Rex.

He's the reason for the season.

Made

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 22:26:00 +0000

I been sewin'.

Solstice Invitations

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 22:26:00 +0000

I hate these pictures. I took them at night with my old phone and they're all yellow and dingy but I've sent out all the invitations and they're the only pictures I have so here.

I saw on Pinterest that you can order decal paper for porcelain that is hand washable and I lost my shit. So each kid got a personalized mug, some hot cocoa on a stick (recipe here) & a poem inviting them to Solstice. Can't wait!

Whose House? Walt's House.

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 22:19:00 +0000

Here's one of the best things about being the Grown Ups: One random Thursday we can just say "screw it" to school and work and drive to Disneyland. Listen, I didn't say Mature, Responsible Grown Ups--I just said Grown Ups.

I've lived in LA my entire life and never seen Disneyland done up for Christmas. I wasn't about to let Dash suffer that same fate (the sacrifices we make so our children can enjoy more privileges than us, am I right?). It did not disappoint.

On our last visit I managed to distract them away from dragging me back onto the Tower of Terror.

This time I wasn't as lucky (I'm pretty sure they're mocking me here).

My favorite this about this picture is that every. single. other. person (including my 9 year old & that little kid in the front row on the left) is laughing and having a great time and I look like I'm about to literally die of horror.

I'd also never seen the Haunted Mansion done up for Halloween/Christmas. The outside is gorgeous, but I honestly prefer the old school version of the ride better.

God, every single detail is perfect. They made the Jungle Cruise into the Jingle Cruise.

We ended the night with a dinner at Flo's Cafe in Cars Land that was so much better than it had any right to be--seriously, I had a roasted vegetable and bulgur wheat bake that was like a vegetarian shepherd's pie and it was a fucking delight. Also, they serve wine there. It was a perfect day.

With Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 22:32:00 +0000

We will never cease to feel blessed to be able to share this day with so many family and friends. That there is room at the table for all who want to join, that there is plenty to eat and drink and many, many things to celebrate with our most beloved.

Spooks

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 01:24:00 +0000

The one time of year our sad California drought lawn actually works with the decorations.

Dash was a clown shark You know, a clown dressed as a shark.

Totally normal. We're fine.

We had a party and ate chili and went trick or treating and it was all adorable as hell.

Also, Will was a stoplight with a working red light. It was amazing, as usual.

Dragonfruit

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 17:07:00 +0000

When I happened upon this weird (and super-expensive) fruit at the market the other day, I had to splurge. Doesn't it look a little like one of Khaleesi's dragon eggs?

Anyway, it was very pretty and the flavor was super underwhelming. But look at how cute he is:

Blood Moon/End of Days

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:12:00 +0000

Josh set up the telescope so we could check out the blood moon/eclipse.Nerds.

Baseball (Shockingly)

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:10:00 +0000

Baby hit his first out-of-the-park home run at his first game of the season. This kid.

Soft Things

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:09:00 +0000

My favorite thing to give children is books. But maybe sometimes that's not their favorite thing to receive (I mean, I know kids love books, but they also want some shit to cuddle and play with, you know?). So I decided to start making dolls based on the books I was giving. I made up all the patterns except for the ballerina who came from a lovely pattern from Retro Mama.

Minor Leagues

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:02:00 +0000

We went to a Jet Hawks game. I brought my knitting and the boys ditched me. Coincidence? I doubt it.

House of the Mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 16:00:00 +0000

Josh and I have always agreed that we wouldn't buy Disneyland annual passes. We wanted visits to Disney to be special events, like Christmas. And they were. But they were also SO EXPENSIVE. And SO MUCH PRESSURE to see and do everything. The day would start too early and eveyone would be tired and cranky at the end, but we couldn't leave because we spent $500 on this one day and we're squeezing every last drop of "fun" out of it, goddammit.

So one Thursday morning we said, "fuck it" and bought the passes. The next day, Josh & I picked Dash up after school and just started driving. We didn't tell him where we were going (he guessed eventually). We got there at 5pm, rode a few rides, ate some corn dogs and ice cream and then went home. It was awesome and amazing and no one cried and we're going back next month and then again and again and again whenever we want.

You're Killin' Me, Smalls

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 22:15:00 +0000

The last weekend before back-to-school (4th grade, seriously?) we hit up Street Food Cinema's outdoor showing of Dash's most favorite move of all time, The Sandlot. It was a gorgeous night and we gorged on delicious food truck grub. It was a lovely way to say goodbye to Summer.

Summer Part 2, the Second One

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 22:06:00 +0000

God, as the child grows bigger and the days seem (get? right? get.) shorter, it becomes more and more difficult for me to find the time and energy to document our days. I think big batches of pictures are going to have to do the job for the time being.

When we left you last we had just enjoyed a lovely July 4th with our most beloved friends. After that there was some beach camping, some birthday-celebrating (mine!) and some Vegas vacationing. I have photographic evidence:

Dash worked on his boogie board skills at the beach.

Why is he wearing a t-shirt?


This is so funny to me. What the fuck are they doing that requires that level of focus?

Eating hobo packs.

Ghost stories

Boo, motherfuckers.

The next morning we went on a nature walk and Dash found this little crab claw.

Then we found and incorrectly reassembled the rest of it. We were hoping it would reanimate, but no. I'm pretty sure most of those pieces are rotting away somewhere in Dash's room now.

At some point I decided I was a nature photographer.

After we got back from camping it was my birthday & I got to revel in gifts and love from my boys. LOOK! BOOKS! I'm half way through the top one--Shades of Grey--and it so so incredibly awesome. A little confusing, but the kind of confusion that you can unpick, like a knot. So satisfying.

My birthday card from my sweet baby.

Weirdly specific & baseball-themed card, but I takes what I can gets.

Then we went to Vegas to celebrate & relax with our beloved Babkes!

Vegas is different when you have kids.

Dash couldn't go to any casinos, but was still able to create a pretty sizable gambling addiction for himself at the arcade. Ticket lust is no joke.

Birthday dinner at Caesar's Palace with our beloved Babkes. I was sitting on the kids side, natch.

When it's your birthday you can force your kid to take a shitty selfie with you.

I will find a way to display this at her wedding, mark my words.

Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 17:37:00 +0000

It's been an incredibly chaotic Summer so far. My job situation was precarious, but it seems to be working out so far. Josh changed jobs, too. Dash has been in various camps and the scheduling has been insane. Plus I totaled my car (don't text and drive!). So here are some happy, quiet moments that I want to remember from this lovely season, too.

Making s'mores at the Babkes'.

More importantly, eating s'mores at the Babkes'.

Bartles & Jaymes.

I've started self-soothing by painting by numbers.

Dash learned how to play poker and then beat us both handily.

Dash & Ben ditched the last day of school and we took them to Magic Mountain.

Dash was a bit nervous about riding some of the bigger roller coasters, so I promised him I would ride anything he wanted to try. I will never make that mistake again.

When all else fails, wine in a "Heroes of the Torah" glass.

'Murrica!

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 17:26:00 +0000

We celebrated our great nation's birthday with some nail polish, good friends, ugly cake and sparklers. It was an excellent time.

All Star

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 16:52:00 +0000

I don't know. This baseball thing. I will never stop being bewildered by it.

At the start of this season Dash announced that his goal was to win the Sportsmanship Award, which was a lofty and worthy goal indeed. Only one kid per team gets the award (vs. four All Stars per team), and it's the biggest trophy and the only one that's actually engraved with the kid's name. I love that so much about the league Dash plays in--that being a good sport and supporting your team is considered a higher achievement than just being really good at baseball. The only downside is that usually a kid can't be selected for both awards--they'll either be an All Star or get the Sportsmanship Award, not both.

Except...

...the kid got both.

All Star Game 2015 (they won!)

All stars! (One of our players was injured and couldn't play in the all star game, so the Coach's son filled in, which is why there are five kids in the pic).

Victory mugging!

Go North Young Man (and Old Lady)

noreply@blogger.com (Liz) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 16:30:00 +0000

As I mentioned in my last post, Dash & I packed it up (poor Josh had to work so couldn't join us) and drove the distance from the Earth to the Moon to visit our beloved Grandma Sonja, Uncle Doron & Aunt Cheryl and Cousin Olivia. There were visits to the Jack London State Historic Park (what an inspiring and heartbreaking life. If you don't know much about his story, click that link and be get real sad for a while), the Luther Burbank House, AT&T Park to see the Giants and beautiful evenings at Grandma's and Doron & Cheryl's playing bocce ball and hanging out with the beautiful and delightful Miss Olivia.

So, a perfect way to kick off Summer.