Uncle Justin left for Singapore this morning. Drex leaves for Rome tomorrow. But this time— the girls and I get to have an away-from-home adventure for the long weekend. We’re headed to our friends’ lake house!

We’re excited, packed, and ready to go in our matching Cambodian outfits. I’m looking forward to our very first mom-and-daughters’ getaway!

Sonya is going to be three soon. (REALLY?!) As an early birthday surprise…

Uncle Justin and Auntie Melissa had a trike delivered to a local bookstore. At night, while Sonya was asleep, Uncle Justin assembled it. As soon as she saw it the next morning, Sonya started laughing and singing a happy tricycle song. I didn’t catch all the words as she pedalled down the street— “I like to ride my—ride my— tricycle— going really fast…”

What an amazing gift! Thank you Uncle Justin and Auntie Melissa! Wow oh wow! Sonya has been riding it every day since she got it, and she’s gotten much better at pedalling and steering. By the end of the summer, she’s going to be a trike pro!

But I think Sonya really appreciates, most of all, having so many people in her extended family come to visit.

My favorite part of every day was Candle Time with all the extra faces around the table in our kitchen.

Against a turquoise sky and fluffy white clouds, a quiet mountain rises out of the peaceful blue water. The mountain is wooded with dark apple trees.

I went to medical school with Vikram. We were tank partners, which meant that we shared a cadaver for gross anatomy— a weird bond that we’ll have for the rest of our lives. When we met, neither of us had any kids. But look at us now. Vikram and Kavitha bravely flew from Houston to Connecticut and then DROVE to Montreal for the weekend with their three beautiful kids.

It’s crazy, because I remember Anjali being born. She’s seven now. And seven seems SO big compared to Sonya and Leena.

I was amazed by how well the girls got along. There was a lot of running around in circles. It was fascinating to watch Sonya try to copy Anjali. She wanted so badly to be older, to do the kinds of things that Anjali could do.

It was such a short visit, and mobilizing our crew of kids took some effort— so mostly we caught up, ate food, lounged around the house, went to the park, saw the neighborhood, and visited Old Montreal by the St. Lawrence River.

We all rode in a Quadcycle. Each adult took a turn behind the wheel. Sonya and Anjana had the best seats.

After we ate a nice Italian dinner and saw the cathedral— Sonya met a horsey.

This morning, we were sad to watch our friends drive away. We won’t see them again until Christmas. So much will have happened by then!

There’s nothing like getting together with old friends to remind me of how much time has passed… I am no longer in my twenties!

Elephant is really hurting.

Oh no! What happened to her?

She fell down and hurt herself.

Oh my goodness! How did she fall down?

She fell down.

Oh— is she feeling better now?

No.

Tell me what happened.

She fell down because Daddy gone away. Elephant needs Band-Aids everywhere.

Is there anything I can do to help Elephant feel better?

Yeah— ice cream!

[We eat big bowls of ice cream with rainbow sprinkles].

Up close, a pointillist painting looks like random little dots. Only when you step back, you realize those meaningless flecks of color form a picture.

The Papal Palace at Avignon by Paul Signac

When you’re a mother of small children, each day is filled with little moments. By themselves, they seem insignificant.

One little dot: Finding an injured squirrel. Making sure it was tended. We brought down a diaper box. One neighbor gave the squirrel water and Cheerios. Other neighbors with a car drove it to a wildlife rescue center.

That evening, the girls played vet with their little stuffed animals, taking care of them just like the injured squirrel.

What I hope for the big picture: Sonya and Leena remember to have compassion for all creatures, great and small.

One little dot: A few weeks ago, Sonya planted a community garden with her daycare. They continue to tend the plants.

At the playground yesterday, Sonya and her friend spent an entire afternoon filling buckets with sand, carefully planting weeds and grasses they pulled from the fence line, and watering them with shushing noises.

What I hope for the big picture: Our family continues to participate in civic projects and our girls grow up being active in our local community.

There are so many other little dots each day— from how we greet each other in the morning when we first wake up to how we come together at Candle Time before we go to sleep. All the positive encouragement, discipline, and guidance the girls hear throughout the week. Dot by dot, that’s how Sonya and Leena form their self-image.

What I hope for the big picture: My girls feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, and gratitude throughout their life. Wherever they are.

Right now, in the day to day, in the dot to dot, it’s easy to go cross-eyed trying to be deliberate and painstaking about what I’m painting. All those little little little dots. It’s hard to take a step back, to evaluate the BIG picture. Dot dot dot…

We recently watched the documentary Being Elmo, which was absolutely superb. It’s about Kevin Clash, the somewhat unlikely puppeteer who made Elmo a worldwide sensation. Someone in the movie said, “When a puppet is true, and good, and meaningful— that’s the soul of the puppeteer you’re seeing.”

I used to think that Elmo was annoying— because I hadn’t experienced Elmo with my kids. My perception has completely changed. Now I’m a BIG Elmo fan! You should see Sonya. She lights up when Elmo appears! (He tremendously helped with Sonya’s potty training).

So I finally understand why Elmo touches so many people’s hearts. Whoopi Goldberg provided a key insight in the movie: “The thing that people love about Elmo is he needs them.”

That statement really resonated with me. It made me more aware of how I could emphasize to Sonya and Leena how MUCH I need them each and every day. I’ve noticed that both girls feel so happy, so proud, so important when they’re empowered to help or give back. I’ve been watching and learning from Elmo.

Sonya let Daddy take Elmo on his trip. I think Drex’s embodiment of Elmo would make Kevin Clash very proud.  The way Drex handles Elmo represents the respect, compassion, and love that abides in his soul. All the way from Dublin, Drex is able to convey something profound through a five-inch-tall furry red monster.

One of the best moments from today was watching Elmo roll an apple across the bed so he could have a healthy snack.

Albert Einstein said, “Time is an illusion.”

This past week, Leena took her first independent steps, and I’m so excited for late summer walks— the whole family— across the park, up the mountain, and back home. (Ambitious daydreams, maybe, but someday…)

I have a full, busy few weeks ahead of me. Drex is going to be in Dublin, Toronto, Rome, and Denver until basically the end of June, with a few days layover at home. It’s going to be tough. We’re all missing him!

Meanwhile, weird, freaky stuff has been happening in Montreal. First, there’s the ongoing protests. Every evening, there’s pot-banging, marches in the street, and ongoing vandalism. Then there’s that gruesome murder case— truth is weirder than fiction—with a psychopath dismembering and mailing the victim’s body parts to the country’s top political parties. It just rattles me. Makes me feel paranoid when I chain the door at night, even though, I know that I’m living in a safe neighborhood, surrounded by good neighbors who keep a watchful eye.

No matter what kind of a gung-ho feminist I might be, I like having myself a nice, strong man around. Just in case. But in the meantime, it’s just Mommy Lion protecting her two little cubs.

My absolute favorite moment from today, just before Sonya fell asleep, she whispered to Eeyore, “Sssh. Close your eyes, Eewie. Mommy Lion keeping us safe all through the night.”