June: 10-on-10
The past couple of days have been ridiculously gorgeous. This means lots of outside time- lots as in all day & all night. We don't get any kind of regular weather here, so when it's good, it's really, really good. It's also hard to end the day, so one recent evening, Ella & I headed out to enjoy some 10:00pm sunshine. As a result, I'm breaking the rules a bit with this 10-on-10. One of Ella's new talents is signing bird; which also results in some very sweet expressions (picture number 3- that's one of her many bird faces). She puts that thumb & pointer finger together to sign bird, puckers her lips up like a little beak & (I'm pretty sure) wants to kiss any bird she can find. She's also been saying 'ch' for chicken. Much to her dismay, she's yet to actually kiss a chicken.
Keep the circle going, with Jill's blog- her girls just graduated, a big congratulations to them!
Spaghetti for Dinner
The Day Clara was Born
'Someday I'll wish upon a star& wake up where the clouds are far behind me, where laughter falls like lemon drops always above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me... Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue & the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.'
We're getting a good dose of rain at the moment, which seems fitting as I write this blog post. One week ago today, we also got a good dose of rain. It was also one week ago today, when we were all in Pasagshak, & my sister started getting texts from her good friend- labor was happening. Her c-section wasn't scheduled for another month, the same day I have to take my youngest to a doctor appointment, out-of-town. As a result of the schedule conflict, I wasn't planning on meeting Clara the day she was born. Instead, she came about four weeks early- healthy, beautiful & oh so very tiny.
It was honestly amazing, being able to photograph her at the hospital. Her big sister is so in love, & was not eager to let me hold her, as she politely whispered, "Can I have my baby back now?!" Clara, you are so loved by her & the rest of your beautiful family, welcome to the world.
The Mandolin & The Fiddle
For as long as I can remember, music filled our house. It either came from the speakers or it was live, courtesy of my dad. I consider the mandolin his instrument, but he also plays the guitar & the fiddle. For some reason, my siblings & I just never hit it off with learning an instrument. While I played the violin for eight years, my sister piano for awhile & my brother still dabbles with the guitar, none of us ever poured a lot of effort into it. Thinking back to the amount of music that surrounded us, it's a bit ironic none of us play well, but what we did develop was a deep appreciation for good music. Over the past few years, my dad has given lessons to a young, incredibly talented fourteen year-old, Sawyer. They have developed a great friendship; this past week, his family moved to Oregon. This is their second-to-last lesson, filled with lots of good tunes & good humor.
Always Kiss Me Good Morning
When I was little, my mom used to tell me stories about two sisters named Tinkerbelle & Anabelle. They went on grand adventures, sometimes in their own backyard, & sometimes far away. Their adventures took me away on my own expeditions- albeit imaginary, but full of so much fun. Hearing of sweet Anabelle's name brought back a rush of memories of my own childhood; meeting her brought back memories of my own children's newborn days. It doesn't seem all that long ago, yet it feels so far away. So much newness, yet so fleeting- the soft fuzz that graces their skin; those sweet, tender cries; lots of feedings & lots of diaper changes; best of all, the comfort of knowing they feel so safe & content wrapped up in their parent's arms. It is special to watch all of this beauty from behind the camera- so very special. Welcome to the world, sweet Anabelle, I know life awaits you with your very own grand adventures.
