Friday

 

Archival photos are fun. Jamie with baby A (Asher man).

Asher ambles after Jamie.

Can't wait for this guy to get home tomorrow. Five nights without him has felt long. One year already feels like a few lifetimes.

Paddle Boats are for the Birds

Soren got to ride with Sophie!

Maeve was not feeling it.

Blue everywhere.

Asher asked to take photos so here a few of my favorite shots.

Knees by Asher.

Summer Sky by Asher.

George Mason.

We went with friends the other day for a bit of paddle boating on the tidal basin. The boys were ecstatic about going and could hardly sleep the night before. I was just happy to be outside on such a delightfully gorgeous day. I guess everyone needs to experience the thigh burn of paddle boating at least once to find out that it really is something not to be repeated. Paddle boats are fun in theory but in application they are inefficient and hard work! Fortunately for my weary legs, Maeve loathed her life vest and pleaded with genuine tears to get off the boat and out of the vest. I was happy to oblige.

Lest you think I am a total grump--I like boats and being on water and I love being with my kids. It's just that once you've handled a kayak--anything less is cumbersome. The pleasure of being aquatically close to the monuments was not lost on me either. Like I said--it was a gorgeous day and a fun way to experience local culture. If there is a next time--I'd appreciate sitting in the back while someone else paddles. Cheers!

Sandals in the Garden

Hard not to feel frumpy next to Amelia's cuteness!

Tea party for one.

Maeve put all sorts of treasures in this cute little cup! She sadly tripped at one point and shattered not just the cup but Amelia's day! She was really sad about the broken cup.

Soren gets soaked.

We met with Sarah and her cuties on a warm Friday at Green Springs Gardens. The kids were immediately busy exploring and playing. It was nice to go at the children's pace--to just let them play and linger as they liked. Eventually we convinced them to walk down a forested path to a little stream. Amelia announced that the path was special for four reasons: 1) fairies, 2) mermaids, 3 )I can't remember, and 4) the future! That girl is wildly imaginative and so eager to include everyone in the little worlds she creates. I love that about her. The kids had fun playing around and in the water. I let Maeve throw rocks into the water but in general she was irritated to be kept in the stroller.

Sarah and I agreed that watching our kids 'root around' in nature is satisfying. I love to see my kids run and play with abandon--especially because they can't do that at home in our tiny backyard. Open spaces without playgrounds are my favorite!

After exploring the garden we went around the corner to Flippin Pizza for their inexpensive and tasty lunch specials. Another wonderful outing with friends.

Glittery Wednesdays

I came home from work the other day to find that Nita had styled Maeve's hair and given her glittery eye makeup! She looked so cute and I detected a little extra bounce in her spirit from all the cuteness.

Maeve with her sweet Millie eating Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

 Every Wednesday my friend Jocelyn brings her sweet girls over and we have dinner and talk. I treasure that special time with her because I feel like I have barely enough time with my family let alone friends so knowing that I get to spend time with a dear friend at least once a week is like glittery makeup to Maeve--it gives my spirit extra bounce. Jocelyn has great energy, personality and she's very generous with her love. Asher, Soren, and Maeve adore Millie and swoon over baby Cate. Jocelyn has many skills, one of which is her city driving--you should see that girl navigate traffic and whip into impossible looking parking spots! She's the best.

11 Years

This has been a dynamic year, most of which has seen Jamie working very busy and long hours. We've managed to get away on the occasional date, at least once a month, but it just seems like spending meaningful time with him is increasingly difficult. The demands of not just our kids but our ever aging house and church callings makes together time feel pretty rare. This year's anniversary found me feeling more tired and haggard than usual and coupled with the memories of last year's beach bliss, I can't imagine I was much of an exciting date for my hubs. Year after year, however, Jamie manages to surprise me and fill all of the special occasions with immeasurable thoughtfulness. This anniversary was no exception.

Eleven years feels like a pretty big deal but I feel that way with the arrival of each wedding anniversary. I just want to shout, "Yay! You still love me!" and demonstrate my excitement with a few fancy jumps and kicks. Each year brings its own challenges. I have really felt the weight of Jamie's upcoming departure and the pressure to prepare but live in the now and not get overwhelmed with expectation for how NOW should feel in contrast to the time when Jamie will be gone. All of this to say that life is hard but I believe we can do hard things because the rewards are sweet.

Jamie took me to the city where we had delicious afternoon salads at the Henley Park Hotel, which is an historic hotel I didn't even know existed! Jamie knew of it from his days at the National Academies. The dining room was rustic with a beautiful urban viewscape.We ate, walked, talked, reflected, held hands, shopped, lingered, and simply felt sustained in our relationship. I loved that time with him and was elated when he revealed that we were having dinner at Raskia! We had been wanting to dine there for years and this truly was the perfect occasion. The food was delightful and so was Jamie. My time with him left me wanting MORE of him, which makes me sad because I am only going to see less and less of Jamie as we near his farewell in September. I don't even know if we will be together for our 12th anniversary but considering we will only see him three times in one year--I am confident that those three occasions will be filled with the surprise and thrill that only Jamie can bring to special occasions.

Work Party

This year my work's summer party was held at Dunkirk Park in Maryland, which is always a family friendly event. Asher and Soren were extremely excited about the party and the chance to do something work related with me. Their enthusiasm was really cute. Once we got to the park they were a little overwhelmed by so many adults talking to them that they just stopped talking! Maeve was a little shy at first too. I don't blame them for being cautious around so many strange adults. Statisticians can be, how shall we say, awkward???

Soren wanted to play games so we tried tossing a frisbee, which we both found boring. Maeve, however, thought the frisbee made a perfect musical instrument so she picked it up and rocked out! She's the best. I was sincerely excited to bring my children to a work event because no one had seen Maeve since she was a wee 4 month old! The boys have grown so much too. Everyone said that Maeve looked just like me, which makes me laugh because she looks just like Jamie.

 I'm truly grateful that my family is my life and even though work takes me away from them for an enormous portion of the week--they still mean everything. Even when they are little jerks (like they were this weekend).

Gilded Cutes

I recently organized all the closets in our house by color--if you don't already organize this way--I highly recommend it. The color impact is immense--especially in a child's closet. I learned that I own mostly black, blue, and yellow. Apparently I like to dress in bruise colors. Nice.

While organizing Maeve's closet I came across this little outfit I had bought probably a year ago in anticipation of the day when Maeve would be big enough for it. I had completely forgotten about it and Maeve was nearly too big for it! The weather on Saturday was cool enough that I could justify black leggings in June. Maeve looked regal in her little outfit and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her! She is growing up astonishingly quickly and I can hardly believe that a year ago she was the cutest little bald baby showing off her new crawling skills! Now she is showing off her language skills. "I'll get it." "Where's the other one?" "WHAT?" "You are funny." "Morning!" "Love you."

Sweet, sweet Maeve.