tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70179707985189342332024-02-19T01:45:35.906-06:00Growing!bearing witness to the fleeting moments of growing two little girls, an edible backyard, a baby-to-be, chickens, and a novelSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.comBlogger613125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-88022884401064491732011-07-08T09:04:00.002-05:002011-07-14T08:06:09.438-05:00Update your links!Growing with Girls has been reborn over at Everyday Inklings, as the "girls" moniker is now a bit outdated.
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-88935995349194139202011-06-30T13:57:00.001-05:002011-06-30T14:00:03.411-05:00Getting to Know MaxHe's only 5 days old, and he's already had us worrying.
Not that it's his fault of course. So far he is the perfect representation of the easy-going baby I signed up for. He eats like a champ, happily snuggles the day away, and sleeps whenever he's not snacking or peeking at his new sister-filled, energetic world. We're all madly in love and marveling at every coo and squeak and newborn, Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-88720656390591000632011-06-27T13:25:00.001-05:002011-06-27T13:26:40.634-05:00Meet Maxwell Joseph!Little Max joined us Saturday! After a week of fits and starts, it occurred to me around 4 that we might want to think about heading to the hospital. By 6:10, only 40 minutes after checking in, Max was in our arms.
He is beautiful. At 8 pounds 11 ounces and 23 1/4 inches long, he's definitely our biggest baby. He alternately looks like Joe, Maya, and Elliot, depending on the light and our mood. Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-23946573156773772412011-06-23T14:33:00.002-05:002011-06-23T17:03:13.147-05:00Mind Games and an Unpredictable Third BabyBaby, baby, baby..... that's all we're thinking over here. I'm officially at 39 weeks, so a week or two can still be expected.... except Elliot was two weeks early.... and I've been having semi-regular contractions since SUNDAY! That's FIVE DAYS. They're distracting, to say the least, and my oh-so-poetic attempt to close out every day as if a chapter was ending has now become an endless ritual ofSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-1397040540511383162011-06-21T13:28:00.002-05:002011-06-22T18:45:25.067-05:00Elliot Takes the FieldOut of the shadow of her big sister, Elle can sometimes be timid. Shocking, I know, from such a brave, curious, assertive little girl. But without her sister, she seems a little untethered.
Until today. She took to her first soccer camp with the natural spunk she always has in our own backyard. Too bad big sister's class was canceled due to rain. They will be quite the pair!
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-82104433101806667212011-06-19T19:11:00.002-05:002011-06-19T20:14:56.484-05:00At the End of Each DayWe celebrated Father's Day with pony rides at Bunker Hill. And a giant brunch. And meandering, bug-catching travels through a new park.
But it wasn't just for the sake of Father's Day. With Pip's arrival seemingly imminent (but possibly still 2 weeks away!), we have been trying to close out each day with a sense of fulfillment, as if to say, "And thus ends this chapter."
For example, Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-15892954393739253842011-06-19T14:16:00.000-05:002011-06-19T14:16:59.414-05:00The Latest from MayaSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-61066603049142892102011-06-19T14:13:00.000-05:002011-06-19T14:13:09.243-05:00The Latest from ElliotSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-28164090664235342582011-06-17T15:35:00.000-05:002011-06-17T15:35:41.853-05:00All of Summer in a WeekGiven that we're at the "any time now" stage, we're packing in as much summer now as we can. It's such an add perspective, to be both childishly eager to meet the baby and grateful for these free, warm days of unscheduled time.
Our most constructive projects were these lovely little pillows. The girls gathered flowers and leaves around the yard and arranged them on one half of a spare piece of Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-37749292819220230952011-06-16T07:32:00.000-05:002011-06-16T07:32:18.472-05:00Just Hanging AroundThese much longed for lazy days are such a gift. My mom even came up for a bit to remind me to keep my feet up while she played with the girls. Contrary to popular opinion, we are in no great rush. Pip can join us whenever he's ready, and until then, we relax... and speculate!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-87060988843761002892011-06-12T20:05:00.001-05:002011-06-12T20:09:03.175-05:00A Party & The NestAs it turns out, hosting a low key birthday party for ten six-year-olds is both fun and easy! Especially with a little help from out of town guests!
Just prepare one garden party cake, complete with oreo dirt and a variety of gummy flowers, bugs, and butterflies.
Start out with a rousing game of Bumble Bee Tag...
Followed by Pin the Dot on the Lady Bug (incidentally, making this was a Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-63203848500724531482011-06-07T17:31:00.001-05:002011-06-07T17:33:43.004-05:00A Kindergarten ConcertI didn't anticipate choking up at the end of kindergarten. The first days were obviously full of adjustments and reflections, but by the end, shouldn't we be jaded old pros at this elementary school thing?
After the delightfully silly concert, Mrs. Johnson ushered us all back to her classroom where she had prepared a DVD compilation of this year's activities set to the tunes of It's a Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-19248762822842829652011-06-05T21:19:00.000-05:002011-06-05T21:19:42.816-05:00A Birthday Weekend to RememberAfter six years of working to inspire a love of the outdoors, all Maya wanted to do this birthday is go camping. Hooray! She loves bug hunting, long hikes, and sleeping in a tent; mission accomplished.
Of course, this year that means fulfilling her birthday wish while sporting the curvy, less-than-ergonomically-designed figure of a woman in her 36th week of pregnancy!
Hiking boots are tough Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-12867039545043517802011-06-01T07:49:00.001-05:002011-06-02T09:44:12.338-05:00RollercoastersIf only I had a picture of each girl on a her roller coaster. Joe took them both out on special days over the past week or so, Maya to the Mall of America to and Elle to Como town. Somehow they have both grown tall enough to ride the roller coasters at their respective amusement parks (Como is geared more for littles, but even so this was Elle's first coaster).
I'm about to take Elle on her Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-84794302027636522872011-05-27T07:51:00.000-05:002011-05-27T07:51:48.874-05:00Photo Friday: Reunion Derserves a ParadeSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-38911308551728506152011-05-25T14:36:00.000-05:002011-05-25T14:36:18.614-05:0010 Years Ago Today...Life was a little simpler. Well, a lot actually. We had given ourselves over to the slow, slow pace of the Jamaican beach, reveling in water and sun by day and the piano bar by night. And in the middle of one glorious afternoon, we got married.
We were so very young.
We had so many, many firsts ahead of us. First apartment together. First jobs. First home. First baby.... and then so Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-60286843157086935492011-05-23T20:53:00.000-05:002011-05-23T20:53:20.712-05:00The One and OnlyNever has a child been so enthralled with King Tut... or the ancient Egyptian toilet seat. Never before has a pregnant woman had to beg her (nearly) six year old to stop doing science experiments so she (the mom, not the kid) could go take a nap.
This weekend we were short one child, and while we certainly missed our deliciously energetic Elliot, it was wonderful to get some one and only time Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-59555269574211185082011-05-20T13:45:00.001-05:002011-05-20T17:39:30.351-05:00Aesop's Untold Fable: Man Versus MouseI'm still chuckling as I write this.... and it happened a week ago!
We (meaning Joe... of course... critters are his area of specialization) caught a mouse in the garage way back in March. Better the garage than the house, of course, but EEEW.
Upon making the discovery, I immediately channeled my mother, explaining in near hysterics that "there is never just ONE mouse."
"MORE TRAPS," I Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-86856953312853376502011-05-19T14:19:00.000-05:002011-05-19T14:19:58.540-05:00Kites, Ducks, & Dirt
Clearly, we are making the most of these spring days!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-20269199018923277872011-05-17T14:33:00.001-05:002011-05-17T14:33:56.393-05:00Our Very Own Little RascalsNo one is more gleeful about spring and the attendant end to hibernation than these kids.
This crew has already packed in a few adventures (only one was unsanctioned) and summer isn't even underway yet. When one 8, two 6s, one 5, one 4, and one 2 year old have the run of the cul de sac, we adults are equally likely to spend a relaxing afternoon observing from a sunny blanket or (perhaps more Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-49367984880199254272011-05-15T09:16:00.000-05:002011-05-15T09:16:31.482-05:00The Homestretch!We have between 5 and 7 weeks before our little newcomer bursts onto the scene, and we couldn't be more excited! I might be the only person in the world that enjoys these last weeks, uncomfortable as they can be. The are full of anticipation, of planning, of day dreams. They are the very essence of a pregnant pause.
Elliot is as enthralled with her mobile as she was when she wasSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-85574576284168110832011-05-11T13:50:00.000-05:002011-05-11T13:50:04.662-05:00When Pigs FlyThanks to Joe's love of the library, our family has stumbled on the most creative and hilarious children's author yet. Check out David Wiesner's author page for a sampling of his many Caldecott winners (Maya's prerequisite these days).These books are short on words and high on illustrated adventure. Now Elle can take a turn reading stories to us!
Tuesday, is especially hilarious, full of the Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-69852079279822270772011-05-10T20:35:00.001-05:002011-05-10T20:36:53.491-05:00Suddenly SummerOh, my aching feet! We have devoured this pseudo summer day, not wasting a moment in the house. Elle and I were two kindred spirits in the forest this morning. We discovered two new trails in our favorite park. We watched a doe and her fawn dash across a pond and a rather large toad hop lazily across the bike trail.
Elle will be an excellent camper! For more than two hours she was an Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-46144661077896795472011-05-03T14:05:00.000-05:002011-05-03T14:05:22.424-05:00In Search of SpringWhile still not balmy, this morning's sunny and 48 degrees brought our smiles back. Both girls demanded to be free by 8 AM, so the backyard has been a busy place.
And looking back, we have hit all of the spring milestones, even if the in between times have been marked by drizzly imprisonment. We dropped off our annual May baskets around the block before heading to South Dakota.
The Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017970798518934233.post-51365494477982623472011-05-02T14:28:00.001-05:002011-05-02T19:44:49.441-05:00Seasonal Affective Grumpiness!Snowflakes? Really?
I realize blogging about the weather is less than worthless, but here we are again, captives in our own house. Watching the grass grow tall enough to mow before we even get a chance to get any grass stains. When we do try to get outside, the chickens don't even bother leaving the warmth of their coop. The kids are cold after 15 minutes and we all end up back inside!
The Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010232594335505897noreply@blogger.com2