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Full Moments

Last week while I was at work Maggie and Sydney went up and spent the night at my parent’s house. I got to go up the next day after working a half day and tag along with their adventures.  My mom planted some bulbs and it took about half a second before Maggie was right next to her assisting.

My mom is such a garden whiz, I’m envious. She makes planting 75 bulbs seem like a walk in the park, where if I were to be faced with the task, I’d feel overwhelmed. Someday I’ll be a better gardener, right? I love that Maggie doesn’t hesitate to get her hands dirty and try and figure out what she can do for help. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I think my child’s thumb is greener than my own.

 

Green thumbs aside, I listened to my parents and Maggie head out the door the next morning to go get the morning paper. I shuffled about the house before finding my shoes to catch up with them, because walking the length of my parent’s driveway is soothing to me. It is the perfect length of a walk to carry a warm cup of tea and still get to the mailbox with a sip left. It is also the perfect length to remind me of where I came from. It is the perfect length to have conversations that sometimes get interrupted, ignored or forgotten.

It makes me happy to think about Maggie already helping to work in the garden with my mom and pick blackberries along the driveway with my dad. Isn’t that just what life is about? Those moments that flash by and can be gone if you don’t take notice. We’re working hard to slow down and notice those moments, those life-filled moments.

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Down on the Farm

Last weekend we headed to Carleton Farm in Snohomish with Brian, Darcy and some of their friends to do the corn maze and pick out some perfect pumpkins. We ended up going a little later in the day than expected and for a while I was concerned that we’d have to be in the corn maze while it transitioned to Haunted Corn Maze!!!! Scary!

Even before we had Maggie, I always longingly talked about corn mazes and farms and we didn’t always pull the trigger on hunting one down. We’ve had Halloween parties in the past and even pumpkin carving contests, but there is something special about picking your own pumpkin or getting lost with friends in a maze of corn.

As we were given our maps to the maze, it became crystal clear that the advice of the sales lady wasn’t too far fetched when she mentioned that the map didn’t ‘exactly’ match with the real twists and turns in the maze. Luckily Brian was with us and he is a MASTER map reader. Not really, but he sure does laugh a lot, which makes Barry laugh a lot too.  Any time you’ve got two Miller brothers laughing, is a good time. At one point Bri mentioned the time he saw my pregnant butt and I had to put a halt on that story, which only made him laugh more.

As much as I’ve been singing praises for this blustery weather, which I love, I’ve been mourning the loss of nice natural light for my photos. All summer long I fought the glare of the sun and now the cloud cover is here to stay and I’m having to pull out a few tricks to make sure I still get the pictures I desire. I suppose you could say I enjoy a challenge because I still refuse to use my flash. Perhaps I’m stubborn? Nah.

So, the corn maze. It was really fun and Maggie loved it. She also loved all the attention from Darcy and her friends. Lauren, Darcy’s best friend, had black boots that Maggie absolutely fell in love with and they were boot buds, with Maggie pointing endlessly at both their boots, as if wanting to confirm that they both had boots on. Mags also enjoyed being leader of the pack, sometimes deciding for everyone if we were going to take a right or a left. The power of her index finger is still in full throttle.

As we roamed from one end of the maze to another trying to solve the mystery of the secret code, I kept whispering to myself “If you build it, he will come” and waiting for Shoeless Joe to pop out of the corn. Of course, he never did. As it was getting darker and we’d solved the puzzle, it was time to exit the maze. Barry and Maggie somehow got detached from the rest of the group and we were headed to the exit. I was a bit worried (but not REALLY worried) and Brian went back in to find Barry and Maggie. Of course not a minute after Brian turned around did Barry and Maggie appear pleased as little kittens that they’d found the exit. So, there we all were at the exit of the corn maze without Brian, the one who is really good at reading maps, remember?  I don’t think anybody really wanted to go back in to find him, for fear of getting lost, but thankfully he ambled out laughing. So we all laughed too.

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The Haps

A few nights ago I pulled lots of Maggie’s summer wear from her closet and filed it away thinking that summer was done for. Of course the very next day, and the day following that, were sun-filled and exceptionally warm. No worries, we’re always ready for some nice weather. Yesterday brought us to the zoo to meet up with some friends and this time Maggie actually was more interested in the animals, even to the point that she did NOT want to be put down next to the gorilla or any other animal close to the other side of the glass. I totally get it, but it was strange to have her cling to me since she almost never does it.

Today brought a reunion of sorts because storytime at the library started up again and we saw friends that we’ve missed out on seeing with frequency this summer. My, oh, my how quickly kids grow and change. We’ve become pretty good friends with a few of the other kids/parents at storytime and so we’re glad that the group has started up again after the hiatus. Maggie still likes to stand in the center of the circle and participate from that vantage point and is really interested in saying hello to familiar faces. To say she enjoys it would be an understatement.

My parents have been on a trip for a week or so and the phone has been used way more for direct conversation between them and Maggie. This means that Barry and I have had a glimpse into our future with Maggie rolling around on the bed babbling into the phone as my mom and Dad try to decipher her words. She also likes to ‘text’ while talking on speakerphone to them, it makes me laugh at myself because we wanted to try and keep electronics at a minimum for her. HA. We’ll keep trying. We’ve also Skyped a few times with Barry’s parents n& grandparents….which has been a hoot because Maggie isn’t quite sure what’s happening. We’ll keep doing it and eventually she’ll share all details of her days with them.

Also, Maggie’s hair has has now become very Brillo Padish in the back. I’m on a quest to find something to help make it less so bed head. Just a comb of water used to help, but now that it is a bit longer that just doesn’t seem to cut it. (Pun intended, ha!) We bought soe detalngler, but I’m not sure I love the smell. Any suggestions? We’ll take ’em!