New England Vacation, pt 1

We recently got back from visiting friends in New Hampshire and making a quick stop off in Maine. For the first few days, we stayed with Angela's friend Heather (who's a terrific mom), her husband Geoff (an inspiration of a father), and their amazing kids, Jackson and Zoe. They could not have been more gracious hosts.

Heather managed to take some time away from her super impressive job as a public defender (has an appropriate, vaguely super hero ring to it, I think), and Violet got to spend some quality time learning from Jackson and mildly terrorizing Zoe. Vi is starting to get really possessive about whatever she (or anyone else) is playing with, and it was certainly good for her to learn a few lessons about sharing.

Violet did pretty darn well with the trip in general, but she did wake up around 5:30 most days. Angela and I pretty much took turns getting up early, and on my days with V, we went for some nice long walks. She's really good at spotting wildlife, pointing, and giving me a cautionary, "DA!" I try to respond with something that lets her know I was really listening, like "well, I don't know how you know so much about the social habits of the Oriole, but please do continue." She's got a lot of Da to say, and I've been learning a lot.

Lastly, people, let me just say this: LOBSTER ROLLS.

Here Comes the Hot Stepper

We're quite behind. I'm making a push to do a few posts this weekend.

One of the biggest developments in the last month or so has been Violet's mobility. She's gone from cruising to nearly running in a matter of weeks. This has led to a lot of impromptu accompaniment from her parents (and youtube), including the following.

Edwin Starr - 25 miles
Frankie Valley - Walk like a man
Son House (but, really, the Eric Clapton unplugged version is amazing) - Walkin' Blues
Dire Straits - Walk of Life
Santo and Johnny - Sleep Walk
Patsy Cline - Walking after midnight
The Pretenders - I'm gonna be
Nancy Sinatra - These boots
The Rooftop Singers - Walk right in
Lou Reed - Walk on the wild side

Here are a couple of her early efforts. Things have improved substantially in the interim.

Vivian and Nathan's Birthday Party

Vivian and Nathan, Violet's cousins, both had birthdays shortly after Violet did, and they did it with style. They chose a carnival theme, and their guests were the upper crust of Southeastern Michigan high society. Vivian is an adorable and pretty amazing kid, and we love her tons. Nathan is developing a real personality and is good company anytime.

I'm also going to include a few other pictures from when we were all home to visit Nonnie and Papa since there are good pictures of the kiddos.

Memorial Day in Kansas

Ted had to work over the long weekend so Violet and I embarked on our second girls only trip. We flew back to Kansas and had an absolutely lovely time. We drove down to Wichita to spend time with Great Grandma Violet, spent time with my parents and brother, and even had the chance to catch up with some old (very good) friends. It was so nice to see everyone and I so wish we lived closer. I can't wait to get back!

       

Walking!

For about a month now, Violet has been taking steps on her own. Just not very many. Usually this would entail her going from cruising alongside some furniture to walking 2-10 steps at a time.  At some point, she would stop, seem to realize that she had made some terrible mistake, and sit down immediately. Until this week. She mustered up some confidence and is now regularly walking across entire rooms by herself. It's pretty darn cute. Here's a short video so you can see for yourself.