Who Cares
Who really cares, right? Who cares that these images are weeks old and that when looking at them I can hardly remember what we’d been doing before we hooked up the hose and ran wild in the pool. Ever since we blew the pool up in June, it has been a go-to toy for us to play in on these hottish days. And the popsicles? I should have bought stock in popsicles this summer because I consider it a State of Emergency when we’re running low and head to the store as soon as time allows. I figure with this pregnancy if I’m craving popsicles, I don’t have to keep track of how many I consume. Because it is WAAYYYYY better than eating burgers, as I did all too often when I was pregnant with Maggie.
This pregnancy is already going so much faster than the first time. I don’t necessarily think that I’m busier, but I have less time to ‘think for myself’ these days. As anyone with a 2 year old knows, time to contemplate and twirl your thumbs doesn’t exist. But the other night as I was reading in bed, one of my favorite times of day, I swear I felt B2 (as we’ve been calling him/her) move and it was exhilarating. I’ve thought on more than one occasion that I’ve felt movement, but it was fleeting.
I’ve mentioned before about being photo-challenged in the Daughter & Me photo department – and I’m determined to change that. Maggie has a fake camera that she loves to take ‘pictures’ of us with. A couple weeks ago, she asked to use my camera, which her little fingers can hardly reach around. I set it to a very basic mode and showed her the button to push…..we’re going with major close-ups, but she got the idea and I’m pretty sure we’ve got a budding photographer. I’m so proud.
And when I mean close-up, I mean CLOSE-UP. . .
And a picture of us wouldn’t be a real ‘HB Girls’ picture without a Sydney photo bomb. Bombs away, Syd!!!
Who really cares if a Pug butt is in your photo when it’s a picture of a cheese-ball little girl and her mama, right? Who really cares that soon after, the said mama and daughter went and ate 3 or 4 popsicles between them because it’s what made them happy….who cares.
As with any blog post that I write while Maggie is still awake and our house is still humming with activity, I am distracted by the game that Maggie and Barry are playing in the other room. Maggie and I made a fort today and she’s convinced him that’s the best place to have their nightly love-fest of games. He’s currently asking Maggie for different shapes as if he is Piglet – and he’s using a very high, hilarious voice for Piglet. It is, as always, beyond adorable. Poor little Piglet seems to always get stuck with the highest, most awkward of voices.
Who really cares? We all love Piglet.
The Answer is Always Yes
A couple weekends ago Barry and I were sitting on the couch on Saturday morning looking out our windows watching the rain come down….again. Out of nowhere Barry said the very best words to me:
“Do you want to go somewhere?”
Without hesitation I answered with a fist-pump and a ‘Yes!’. Going somewhere – anywhere, really – sounded so much more appealing than sitting on the couch and watching the rain come down while Maggie ran circles around us for what might have felt like the millionth hour.
We quickly packed our bags with the essentials, a change of clothes, swimming suits, diapers and a few snacks, and we were on the road within minutes. (Reality Check: With a dog and a kid, we really weren’t on the road in minutes, but we bustled around and were pretty quick. Alright? Alright.)
We decided to head South and sent some quick texts to Brian and Darcy, only to determine that they were busy and not ready for visitors….which nixed our initial plan in the bud. Plan B turned into finding a hotel in the Olympia/Lacey area that was pet friendly.
And this is where I emote about La Quinta. Last summer we stayed at La Quintas on our ND road trip frequently because my grandparents have points and they know exactly what they’re getting. We also stayed at La Quintas on our road trip down to CA last fall.
As much as I love a hidden, off-the-beaten-track cabinish type of place, I really love La Quinta because we know exactly what we’re getting: fresh cookies at 7 pm, a pool, a place that likes pets, a pool, breakfast, a refrigerator in our room, and….a pool.
We used that pool until we didn’t have anymore swim diapers and we bounced on the beds as if we don’t have beds at home – we pretty much had the vacation that we didn’t have in San Diego at La Quinta in 24 hours. We also discovered nearby Saint Martin’s University and wandered the beautiful campus stopping to boogie on down to the church bells every half hour.
On Sunday morning we packed our bags and headed practically straight to Brian and Darcy’s, but not before we stopped and bought half a dozen donuts at a place called The Donut King or something awesomely creative like that. We were at Brian and Darcy’s before they were home from their morning walk with Dexter and we got to send one of the best text messages ever:
“We’re at your house with donuts.”
By the time we rolled into our driveway, the skies had cleared and our minds had as well and we were ready to get down to business and get some work done. I felt as refreshed as I had been hoping to feel upon our return from SD.
Here’s what I want to remember about our quick vacation trip to La Quinta: Sometimes just going anywhere can be enough to feel like you’re going somewhere.
