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The Four Generations Pose Again

Thanks to my aunt Nancy we were able to get some group shots of Maggie, my mom, Midge and me for our last visit up to A-Town. It just so happened that we were all wearing pink, so it looks like we planned these cutie-patootie photos. There was no planning, we’re just that synched. As much as I treasure these images, I really, really love the outtakes. My favorite? Check it out:

Maggie is going after my mom with her game-face on!!

I feel so lucky to get to be the mother, daughter and granddaughter to these ladies.

Happy Thursday to YOU!!!

*Last time we posed like this!

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‘Round Here

Yesterday we were driving in the car and Maggie noticed a school bus out the window and freaked out yelling “Bus, Bus!!!!” while pointing at it. I think she had thought that her very own little bus at home had come to life and found us on the road. After that, she kept pointing out the trucks and cars and telling me that she was ‘yooking’ for another bus.

Mags was showered with valentines from Barry’s mom, Sue, the Merk boys and my grandparents and I can officially say that she now knows how to open a present on her own, so there will be no need to practice before her birthday this year. (Thanks for the gifts, guys! Our little sweetheart loves them all!)

This past weekend I hosted our annual Cousins Dinner and set up a craft station for everybody to make their own crown; because who doesn’t love to wear a crown and eat, right? Anyhow Maggie has absolutely fallen in love with putting stickers on herself and anyone in a 10ft radius. The other night Barry had stickers inside his ears, which I thought was very clever placement.

We’ve also got our coffee table covered in butcher paper and Maggie has spent quite a bit of time drawing and coloring away.The other night, if I could just brag for a moment, she accidentally scribbled an “M” and then noticed it and pointed it out to Barry and I, who were sitting with her. She did it a few times, but then started scribbling and claiming the scribbles were other letters, so the Miracle Moment was short lived. But still. She made her first “M” and I’m proud.

Today we’re going swimming with our A-Town crew at the new pool by our house. It should be interesting, but hopefully we’ll all have a good time and it can become more of a regular thing.

Eeek. Mags is shouting for me from the other room, so I better wrap this up.

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Good Planning Vs. Bad Planning

I’m officially deciding that for me to complete the 30 Day Photography Challenge, it doesn’t matter that I actually take the photo on that exact day. It’ll just work better for me that way. Plus, I don’t feel as much pressure…who needs pressure with something that is supposed to be fun anyhow, right?  I had grand plans today to photograph the Seattle Space Needle, but we had a mishap (mishap = puke) and I totally forgot about it. So I used an old (old = two days) image.

This post is kind of all over the place, but most of the images are from our trip to T-Town to visit Brian, Darcy & Dexter. The last time we were there it was summertime and we let Mags run in the water park practically nudie. This time we were all wearing our sweaters, but February was playing games with us and let us sit outside on their deck for majority of the afternoon.

I’ve really missed having some family photos taken of us lately and was hoping that I could use Darcy’s eye to capture a few, but Maggie had other plans. She was more interested in the ducks and dogs than posing with a cute smile. I had to let it go, which I find challenging at times.

There are few things in life that I love more than a good plan, so I struggle sometimes when something I’ve got on my mind doesn’t go my way. I sometimes see this come through in Maggie’s personality and I feel sorry for Barry – that he has to live with double planners. (double planners = bossy people)

Darcy did grab my camera and snapped a couple shots…none of which are great, but depict the situation pretty well. I was intent on trying to get Mags to take a photo on a stone bench, Barry was minding Syd and trying to convince me to forget about it, and Maggie was practically jumping into the duck pond. So it goes sometimes.

The rest of the evening was splendid. (splendid = running out of diapers and sipping on wine) The men had to make a heroic trip to the corner store to pick up some diapers after we discovered that Maggie really used the last diaper that we’d brought.  Bad planning on my part, I suppose.  Ironic for the girl that loves a good plan, right?