in other news.

you might think that we have very little going on when you look at our past week or so in pictures...

this is me. i took a picture of myself while i was waiting for ada to finish up poops. you know, during my "downtime". yes, i am standing in her bathroom, and yes her bathroom has absolutely gorgeous wallpaper i would adore if i were about 50 years older and stuck in time. anyways, back to the point. i studied this picture to find all the imperfections 32 years of life have given me so that i could begin searching for instant cure-alls (especially for the infinite number of wrinkle around my eyes and mouth.) vain, i know. but someone has to take care of it. can anyone recommend a good anti-aging cream? please?

another shot of us eating homemade ice cream sandwiches last weekend.

ada making rainbows. don't be fooled, she did not make it with a flashlight. the batteries were dead. we just put a glass of water on the windowsill so the sun could do the work for us.

she really has mastered the forced smile, huh?

playing with homemade slime in the bathtub. cornstarch and water really can make your day all better.

ok-- so it really does seem like we aren't up to much. but pictures can be deceiving. in the background of all of these pictures reza and i are trying to choose the best place to work and raise a family (read- which job offer to choose!) so exciting and ultimately so nerve-racking that i can't even sleep at night... oh wait, i didn't sleep last night because our wonderful daughter joined us in bed where she still couldn't fall asleep so instead she pined over a very beautiful tinkerbell doll she saw yesterday. back to the point. do you go where the urban space, where your children are sure to be cultured and museumed beyond expectation. do you go to the small green space, where the tikes can play in the woods and explore. or do you potentially go the the place you see as "home" but has neither woods nor museums, but comfort and good public schools.

sigh.

being a mother is wonderful and stressful and ultimately means that you think nothing of what you want but what you want for your family. if i could only figure out what that is.