Lately

Summer Lovin’

That stinky rain is back and we were just starting to feel like Summer is really, truly around the corner. So it goes in the PNW, so it goes. Our little tribe has been bustling around trying to enjoy as much of the sun as possible. Maggie busted out some of her water toys and Syd got to lounge in the green grass.

I can’t begin to describe how excited I am for summer to arrive. I hardly remember being outside last year at all, I think I was still in “I-have-a-new-baby-I- am–utterly-exhasted” mode. We’ve already spread out the quilt outside a few times and just last week Maggie spent a good portion of the time splashing in a bucket of water and hauling rocks. My dad would be proud at her ability to haul rocks, maybe he’ll give her some work next time he needs a hand.

Sleep Jollies and Friends Visiting

The other day Maggie was laughing so hard when I would act like I was going to eat her finger, that I called my mom just so she could listen to Mags bust up. Lately Maggie has been getting The Tired Jollies and starts cracking up right before she conks out for the night.  It is very hard not to laugh when she is laughing and not tickle her in her teeny, tiny arm pits….so we do and laugh right along with her. We think/hope she is getting better at sleeping, but I’m done guessing about anything sleep related.

Joe and Claire stopped by on Easter Sunday to drop off a birthday gift for Maggie and as you can see Maggie feels a bit better about Joe now in comparison to a few months ago. Is it mean that I like the picture of her crying because that is EXACTLY what she looks like when she is Square Mouthing?

Anyhow, they gave her a Raggedy Ann doll, which is perfect, and Joe kept telling Maggie that if she ever draws a self-portrait she can just look at the doll. I think Raggedy Ann dyes her her though, Maggie is a natural.

Kara also stopped by to help Maggie celebrate her first year and they spent some time reading books outside and poking each other. I’ve droned on and on about how loved Maggie is by so many people, but it is so true. Her life is full of people that love her and are interested in her.  My brother stopped on his way to Portland to smooch on her and play a silly ice cream game too. It seems like our world is full of people being too busy, typing on their iPhone, not living in the moment. It saddens me.

BUT

I love that when people stop by and take time out of their lives to see Maggie (and Barry, Syd & me too) they are very present in the moment and focused on her.

The Social Side of It

The night that we had Maggie’s friends over to celebrate her birthday was a wild one, with big and little kids running amuck at HBHQ.

Most of her buddies showed up to celebrate and enjoy some ice cream, it was an ice cream social after all.

But the babies, who aren’t really babies anymore, need a bit more monitoring and need to stay closer to the parental homebase.  As the only pictures I have of the big kids are of them eating ice cream, I realized that  life really isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. Maggie and her little friends will soon be those big kids zooming all around the yard.

The time isn’t that far off….that Maggie, Caroline, Thomas and Will are going to be well out of arm’s reach, involved in their own game of chase, eating their own banana splits and forging new friendships. For now, the perch from the safety net of the arms’ of their fathers will have to do…

Barry & Mags

 

Lance & Will

Marc & Thomas

Caroline & Josh