Summer Rainbows

It's hot in DC. But the Smithsonian museums are wonderfully air conditioned, free, and have great spaces to run around in.

The Museum of the American Indian has an especially great entrance if you are under the age of five and feel like dancing around in public view.

Best of all are the huge rays of sunlight the building catches and filters through gigantic prisms. If you find the right spot, you can make yourself into a life size rainbow.

Rainbow Reuben

Rainbow Miriam

Reuben - does this come off?

A big thanks goes out to Aunt Heather for letting us subject her to our DC trek. Reuben wanted to make sure she got a good introduction to each of the faces.

When we aren't in DC, we are our usual crazy selves. This picture is pure Miriam. She put those necklaces on herself. She found them herself too. I didn't even know we owned 2 necklaces.

Miri is agile. She can crawl into the wading pool by herself. Getting out before Reuben realizes she's in there is more of a trick.

One Miriam

Miriam turned one years old on Saturday! Since she's walking and talking and speaking in sentences (her favorite word is "whatsthat!?) it seemed about time. At the same moment, I can't believe my tiny little black haired baby is already a busy blonde haired toddler. It's been an exciting year thanks to this amazing little girl.

Here she is getting ready for her one year old cake. We got her a birthday crown to wear since she is partial to hats. Reuben helped her blow out the candle.

She didn't get very messy eating her cake. She took a bit or two then threw it on the ground. I think it might have had something to do with my forgetting to add the sugar to the icing.

Since Reuben hordes all the stuffed animals in the house, we got Miri her very own little stuffed friend, Gaspard, a small black dog. She's been carrying him around all day so I think they're going to be buddies.

And while she liked her crown, Miriam's favorite attire is still this old straw cowboy hat.

I love her expression in this picture.

Arizona is hot hot hot!

If you hadn't guessed, the title is a Reuben quote.

We asked him on the plane on our way home: Did you like going to Arizona?

His Response: Arizona is hot hot hot!

So we will just say that is a yes.

Arizona in mid July is indeed HOT. But we loved our visit since we got to see Amanda and Robby get married! Woo-Hoo!

We loved seeing all the family that came out for the event. I'm sad I didn't get a good picture of everyone who was there. I hope there's going to be a lot of picture sharing and swapping in the near future.

Great Grandpa Bob reading to Miriam

Grandpa said I could

Surprise! We made it down to SC for fourth of July.

Hurray for girl cousins!! We all loved playing with Eliza

Every time I look at this, I laugh. I love the expression on Miri's face and her pose. This picture reminds me of portraits of an old english gentlemen standing next to his prize race horse. She's got the sneer-smile down. (Actually she's kind of choking on chalk which she insisted on eating. I'd come to take it away and she'd start drawing furiously. I'd back away and she'd return to chewing it. Sneaky girl.)

Miriam kept trying to get someone to give her a turn on the big kid swing but no one would give her a chance...

...til she had a little chat with Grandpa. See her making her case to him.

Lo and behold, this eleven month old can swing on a grown up swing. I think she looks so pleased with herself. Hurray for Grandpa. Without him around, nobody would have let her prove what she can do.

I'm a space man!

Don't worry. It was stuck on his head for less than half an hour.

11 months

Look at this crazy girl. Is it just me or did she fly through her babyhood?

Little Miss Miriam is walking! She realized a few days ago she could walk unassisted and since then she's been tottering all over the place.

Here are a few more things she enjoys.

Drawing. She gets very angry if you get in the way of her scribbling or try to switch her color of crayon. Look at that serious face

Swinging. Balls. Swinging with balls.

She really loves balls.

Eating. But watch out because she's dangerously generous. If she sees you watching her she will insist you take a bite of whatever she has at hand.

Why hello there. Half chewed apple?

No, really I insist.

Another big favorite she learned thanks to her brother, drinking bath water.

Climbing. She got herself up on this stroller. I've found her all kinds of perilously high places. The tops of stairs, up book cases, on the bed, up stacks of moving boxes. The child is fearless.

She's also an enthusiastic animal lover. On our daily walk she keeps a look out for any and all non-human creatures. She seems to get especially excited about dogs, exclaiming Dahc! Dahc! and signing dog emphatically.

Only one more month til she turns one. I'm trying to decide if she or my birthday celebration is going to get the nudge. I really don't think it's fair for either of us to share.

Touche

We are in the belly of the beast, the beast being moving. Hopefully it will all be over soon. We reserved the moving truck for Saturday morning. While Aaron and I work and pack and work some more, the kids keep life fun.

Maybe it's just me but when Reuben eats carrots I think he looks like he's smoking a cigarette, Cruella Deville style. He keeps holding it with his pointer and middle finger.

We had a conversation on taste at dinner tonight.

Reuben: Lettuce is yucky.

Me: (in rebuttal voice) Reuben, Mama eats lots of lettuce. Look, I'm eating lettuce right now.

Reuben: (gives me an appraising look) Hm. Mama, likes yucky food.

Touche

Sound logic going on there. But ouch, did I just get snubbed by my two year old?

We've been happy that the weather has cooled this week. We've spent most of our time, at Miriam's insistence, outside. When we don't get out quick enough she walks to the door and bangs on it with both hands, then looks at me then looks at the doorknob then looks at me.

A family that draws together, stays together right?