Summer days

Highlights from the past week...

On a walk with Maggie and she crashed right after under the trees. Such a cutie. I really didn't want to move her but it was hot outside with bugs jumping all around her.


Michael didn't want a special present for Father's Day and because we were busy with our dads that day, I fixed him a nice dinner a couple days after to honor him as a new father. Hoping to make this a tradition with Maggie. Chicken, rice, and green beans with fruit cobbler for dessert. Yum! Often Michael takes Maggie out for a bit and it lets me catch up a little. She's so tiny in her strollers.

Maggie is talking more and more each week so we caught one of her moments last night. We love her squeals and giggles.

One Word

This was sent to me from Sara. Tag to the bloggers :-)

Where is your cell phone? Charger
Your significant other? Outside
Your hair? Wavy
Your mother? Seeking
Your father? Sincere
Your favorite thing? Food
Your dream last night? Anxious
Your favorite drink? Juice
Your dream/goal? Happiness
What room are you in? Office
Your hobby? Knitting
What do you fear? Ivy
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Wiser
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren't? Famous
Muffins? Poppyseed
Wish list item? Clothes
Last thing you did? Vacumn
What are you wearing? White
TV? Jeopardy!
Your pets? Lily
Friends? Many
Your life? Content
Your mood? Contemplative
Missing someone? No
Drinking? Water
Smoking? No
Your car? Fun
Something you're not wearing? Pants
Your favorite store? TJ's
Your favorite color? Green
When is the last time you cried? Unsure
Who will resend this? ?
Where do you go over and over? Library
My favorite place to eat? Parents
Favorite place I'd like to be right now? Vacation

Kenly

Our friend Ken had a pretty bad accident last Friday as he was hiking. Thankfully, he is stable now, but he slipped from the trail and fell quite a few feet down, the last 10 feet being sheer cliff. Luckily, he was able to yell to other hikers on the other side of the river and they called 911 for him at a nearby campground. He was eventually rescued by helicopter.

Ken has needed multiple surgeries due to broken bones and fractures. If you know Ken, he is a busy guy and loves being on the go and outdoors, so being in the hospital must be hard for him. However, I think he is enjoying the cute nurses :-) His family has been amazing and are with him every day. They started a blog for him here and he is getting lots of visitors, which are helping keep his spirits up while he is there.

We are hoping for a fast recovery but he will be in a wheelchair for awhile and will need physical therapy. I hope that once he returns home, I can help him out more. He's got quite an appetite, so the least I can do is make him food. For now though, he just likes seeing smiling faces!

We love you Ken!

Busy bees

Lots going on last weekend, involving a couple baby gatherings, one for our friends Erin and Eric at my sister's house. They were visiting from Idaho. Unfortunately that day I was a little under the weather but it was great to see them. Erin is 8 months pregnant and expecting her baby girl Ella in August.

The following nite was my knitting friend Ruth's baby party. Ruth is also due in August but with a boy. The party was hosted by our friends Sara and John. Sara and John are both extremely artsy and together they have created a pretty cool pad (they bought the house less than a year ago). John is building a real train yard in the back with a mini mountain garden...come on, what a cool dad! They also have chickens living in their backyard in a homemade coop, producing fresh eggs daily.

Next stop was Madera. It was a 3 hour drive to and from to attend Jenny and Greg's wedding. Waiting for us at the reception where little treats-homemade jars of jelly!
Maggie did great that day. It was her longest car ride yet and she was a hit at the wedding.

We finished off the weekend with the celebration of Father's Day for three significant men in my life: Michael, my dad, and Marco, my father-in-law. I'm cracking up because Maggie has a hard time being moved around/fussed with, so in both of these pics she's showing off her 'tude! Marco thinks she's a drama queen, but I think she's just sensitive like her mommy :-)We were so busy that day visiting with family that I decided I'd cook Michael his favorite dinner and dessert later.

Now at home, Maggie and I have been enjoying her new curtains. They turned out cute and match her crib bedding, which I had forgotten we had intentionally matched. Her room is a mish-mash of colors and decorations, but I like it and she is enjoying it more and more.

Walking with Maggie

Expanding upon Patria's comments about homeownership, I wanted to share my thoughts. Homeownership for me has been an interesting adventure. I always enjoyed renting and having the freedom to pick up and find someplace new. Not that I did it that often, but I always felt like I had that as an option for change.

But Michael had always talked about buying a home and I was excited to give it a try with him. I really wanted to remain in a certain neighborhood but it wasn't going to pan out-too expensive, too loud and busy (for Michael), and too old and small of houses that we didn't want to have to work on constantly. So we looked elsewhere and ended up outside of town a bit in a house that fit our criteria.

Now having owned our house for over a year, I see that there are many pluses but there are also things you can't get away from and just have to deal with. I really do like our house. We take good care of it and are making it what we want, but we can't control what happens around us. Things are constantly changing, especially with the bad economy right now, and I get frustrated with neighbors when they don't keep up their houses or when I see a house turn into a rental and pride of ownership decreases. Overall though, our family is better off now. We have more space to spread out, especially now that we have Maggie, I have a nice garden, Michael has his garage work space, and we have a comfortable home that can be fixed up as time and money allows. It may not look like it from first glance because the part of town we moved to is by no means flashy, but settling in here has allowed me to enjoy lots of new things I would have never experienced if not for living here. The town meets all of our needs and I am constantly delighted by little things like how close certain stores are, friends that live nearby, the numerous parks, library, etc. This house is a great start as we begin our journey as a family.

Ok, so this next part is not reality...and I'm dreaming :-) But a girl can dream, right? Just up the street from our house is where an old air strip used to be, but in the '90's it was developed into houses. It's called Phoenix Field and it sits between two parks with lots of nice houses in between. When Maggie and I go on walks, we head towards Little Phoenix Park and just beyond the park, this one house always comes into view that puts a smile on my face. It's so pretty, with a nice porch and bright landscaping. Michael has commented how he likes it too. When Michael takes Maggie on walks, he happens by this house, which is his favorite, so I snapped a picture.I'm not saying a big pretty house makes life perfect, but they sure are fun to look and dream about.

Breastfeeding

This is the international symbol for breastfeeding. I've had the pleasure of nursing Maggie since birth and with a few exceptions, it has been a wonderful experience for both mom and baby. I really feel like I am giving her a great start in life and that it is totally worth the sacrifice on my part. For all you breastfeeding mothers out there, good job!