16 Months!

16 Months! It's true! It's a day to celebrate! Actually it's a day to celebrate for a whole other reason. Today is my friend Halle's naming ceremony. I'm in Vermont and have just met the adorable and charming Miss Halle yesterday for the first time since she peeked her head into the world this March. I am off to a park to attend a naming ceremony for her to help welcome her into the world & into her family. It looks like a beautiful day, so it should be a lot of fun.

Will post soon with pics from the naming ceremony & of COURSE updated pics of the sweet and sassy Miss MOLLY who is now an astounding 2 1/2 yrs old!

Other fun from the homefront:
My sister & brother in law love MASH. So do I- it's a guilty pleasure whenever I'm at their house that I get to watch it since they have all of the seasons on DVD. I barely watch TV at all at home, but could watch endless amounts of MASH while at their house. True, it defies reason, but I love that show. Molly has two names for MASH: The Hopter Copter Show, and The Not Feel Good Guys Show. (as in, why are they in bed? "because they don't feel good" Why they not feel good?...) very very cute.

My friend Elliott

It was a very busy past week, and I'll come back with stories later, but just wanted to post this quick pic my friends sent me...I went to dinner at a friend's house on Saturday, and finally got to meet the Amazing and Adorable Elliott! He was born in March, and he is a super doll! All giggles and cooing and what a smile!!! The last I saw his Mommies was in January...when the Pregnant Mommy was READY for him to be born, and I'm pretty sure Mommy #2 was also quite ready! Now...BOTH of his Mommies are seriously radiating happiness- what a wonderful family!!! They both just look SO natural with him-so at ease and comfortable with being Mommies and just "with it"- knowing what to do/when to do it....they both just seem to have it so "together" on the Mommyhood front! So Impressive... I can't wait until my little one is home & she & Elliott can play together!!

Pinecone Birdfeeders

When Heidi & I went to Sunriver with Chris & the girls a month or so ago, we found these enormous pinecones! They were huge, and for all intents and purposes may as well have been screaming out "SMEAR ME WITH PEANUT BUTTER! ROLL ME IN BIRDSEED!!!"



So, we absconded with a few on our way out of town & they've been hiding safely at Chris's house until last week, when we decided it was time to get them out & treat them as they want to be treated....peanut buttered up & hung from the nearest Oak Tree!!


Hazel found a nice equilibrium with the Peanut butter- a scoop for the pinecone, a scoop for eating, one for the pinecone, one for eating...

Dumpling also had a great time with the peanut butter & birdseed craft- She especially loved the dumping of the birdseed over the pinecone, but really, what 2 yr old wouldn't love that?!

Even my Roomate Jim got in on the fun of pinecone crafting. Really, who could resist such adorable faces as these? I think Ruby gave him a gold star for his appointed task of pine cone holding & Pine cone turning. Way to go Jim!!!

Once we finished crafting, we went outside to play on the swings a little and get some fresh air! Ruby loves to swing!!
It was also time to get lettuce for our Salad we were making to go with dinner! We had just had a Village dinner a few nights before, where Dumpling proved her kitchen prowess by patiently plucking cilantro leaves from their stems...based on such a success with the Cilantro, I thought we might try lettuce. She was VERY anxious to make sure that each of the 2 bowls had the same amount of lettuce, and wow did she love picking it! After we picked enough lettuce, we carried the bowls over to the swing set and set them down. Dumpling is one smart cookie and *knew* that Lettuce does not belong on the ground, it belongs in the kitchen, thus she kept anxiously looking over at the lettuce bowls on the ground until finally she picked them up and took her Mama by the hand to lead her into the kitchen with them! That task completed, she came back out and played on the swings and on the grass for a little while!

The girls were interested in the flowers...fortunately spring is quite amazing in Portland, and I had some climbing roses that were hanging down pretty low and made for some good "smelling" flowers!

Ruby & Dumpling helped Heidi get dessert ready after dinner- first there was the washing of the strawberries that needed to be taken care of, followed by the washing of the containers, followed by the general splashing and water fun that is requisite to a good dinner with friends!!