Quote du Jour.

"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult." --Charlotte Whitton

Goodbye.

I don’t know what blogs are meant to be, but I see this as a way to send something out somewhere in some meaningful way. It seems that most blogs are filled with only the bright spots of life, but the truth is that we all live in the same world. We are all touched by death, by illness, by disability, and by hurt itself. So I hope you won’t mind if I use this place to say goodbye so someone I never knew.

I believe I lost a baby this week. Some say that God knows best. I’m never sure what is His will, and what just happens. I tend to think that life just happens in a chaotic fashion with one thing causing another, then another and while we may look for a reason, there simply may not always be one. Either way, whether by His design or by happenstance, I know that He knows far more and far better than I do. And I will give thanks and praise to Him in all things.

So goodbye, tiny love. You and I will never look into each other’s eyes and see right into our shared soul in the middle of a dark March night. We will never know how fiercely I would have loved you, or all the secret, tender moments we would have shared. I will never see you smile. You will never know the warmth and pure love of my embrace.

But know that I loved you from the moment you occurred to me. Know that I would have held you with a mother’s greatest passion, and that I would have given you the world in the palm of my hand, or spent myself in the trying.

I am so sorry that our time together ended almost as quickly as it began. And because of that, I have nothing to lay to rest. Nothing to say. Nothing to do. But you’ve meant no less to me than if our time together had been long. You will always, always have a place in my heart.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

I pray that He will cradle you in His great arms—for my sake.

Splash Pad.

Ella and I met some mom message board pals at the Splash Pad. It's basically a concrete pad with drains and huge fountains for the kids to splash in.

My little frady cat did not like the fountains, even if I held her to run through, so we dried off and enjoyed a picnic in the grass instead. We might not be ready for the fountains yet, but the company was spectacular!

Aah-Bow.

Ella's best friend Mollie has encouraged her to wear hair bows. What one does, the other wants to do too, if only for a short period of time. Here's a rare shot of her wearing her "aah-bow" to church. It didn't come home in her hair, but I still consider it a win.

New Trick.

Here is Ella's new trick in "I Cheow." (Translation: my chair. Which she is

VERY selfish about.) "What just happened?"

Lo?

Answering the phone is Ella's newest hobby. "Lo? Lo?," is the extent of her phone conversation skills! Hmmm... maybe I'll let her handle the telemarketing calls from now on...

Ella likes to take her calls while enjoying the fireplace in the parlor. Oh, apparently this call is for me!

Yankee Baby Dandy.

The club held a yummy cookout for the 4th of July, and you know I can't resist a cookout! Russ, Ella, and I enjoyed some fine food and then swam one or two of the hundreds of calories we'd consumed off.

I made this shirt for Ella. Russ helped her decorate it with watermelon.

Ella is actually pretty good at minding when I ask her to stay nearby, but sometimes it's REALLY hard!

Still the One.

Ella's vocabulary and comprehension have really taken off lately. Pig is no longer "Piii!," but now actually "Pig." She understands so much of our conversation now and can truly talk back in mini-sentences. Here she's telling me to come on. "Come-OW!"

I know these are the everyday sorrows of a mother, but she's growing and changing so fast it feels like the days are just sand rushing through my hands. I am trying to cherish, treasure, and burn every moment into my memory as it flies right by.

Hello Beantown.

Yankee Doodle, look out! Emily and Allison and I took Boston by storm in early June. Boston is supposedly one of the best cities to walk but take it from me-- cobblestones ain't comfy!

Sore feet aside, our trip to Boston was wonderful. It was my first time there and I truly enjoyed the combination of the village feel alongside the history that seeps out of every corner of the city. It isn't as fast-paced as New York and it isn't as large, but there is plenty to do and see in this beautiful, bustling city. Reflecting on the great men and women of the past-- their courage, their downright fearless acts-- it isn't hard to imagine where Bostonians of today get their feisty spirit.

A couple of highlights included a boat trip on which we learned that Boston considers itself "The Hub of the Universe." Wow. Seriously? Egocentric, perhaps? And on a day that might have reached into the low 80's with no humidity, the news stations warned in alarming tones, "Stay inside! Drink plenty of water! Dress lightly!" Those people don't even know what hot is.

Here are some pics from around town. We couldn't take pictures of my favorite place, the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum. It's a beautiful villa-- architecturally amazing-- stocked with art of many mediums from a wide range of eras.

If you ever stop in Boston, please, please visit this breathtaking space created by a woman who must have been a visionary force in her time.

Father's Day.

We celebrated Father's Day this year by spending the day at cabin on a nearby lake. We hung out at the pool and cooked out at a cabin that Mike and Laura rented. Ella's Uncle Matt and Aunt Angel, as well as Mimi, Grandmother, and favorite cousin Kalynn came.

Somehow I didn't get a picture of Ella with her actual father, but here's one of her playing with G.

Have a Little Help From My Friend.

Ella and I love going to the jump place with our playgroup. It is a huge indoor play place with arcade games, riding toys, inflatable bouncy tents, and big inflatable slides. (Yes, I feel like there should be an apostrophe in Kids, but this is how they spell it and I will respect that...)

Here Ella is getting some help from a buddy on a trike which she hasn't quite figured out yet, being the crazy daredevil that she is. (Eyes rolling-- so untrue.)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

It appears that my addiction to the moms message boards isn't fruitless after all! I won us tickets to see a baseball game in a luxury suite. (Okay, so nothing at the stadium is luxury these days, but it had air conditioning, comfy chairs, and a door. That's GREAT for a toddler!)

So off we went, Russ, Ella, and I, along with message board friends Michelle and Traci.

Ella had a blast playing with a little friend and eating her weight in ballpark munchies. I kid you not. After we fed her a full meal, she ate a HUGE tub of popcorn, almost completely by herself, some funnel cake, and then she saw the peanuts.

Ever seen a 2 foot child yell "Mo! Mo!" (translation: More! More!) at a grown man? Michelle's husband might think twice about sharing his peanuts next time...

Ella in action!