Strength

I know some beautiful people who are going through some difficult things. I wonder how they feel when people tell them to be strong.

Sometimes we have to be strong because somebody else isn't. Intentionally or unintentionally; physically or emotionally; once or repeatedly. Blame and self-pity are useless, but sadness and helplessness may still remain. Grace is often an effort rather than a gift. Too many people expect rather than appreciate it.

I do not tell people to be strong. I assume that the people I love are strong already. Instead, I believe that we should invest in each other. Support each other when we are weak. Express our emotions without judgment. Wish for a graceful way to fight for the things that we believe in. And most importantly - find a way to live peacefully within the flow of inevitable change.

I think we all deserve support for grace and time to not be strong.

Kayak Flower

These were the walks that cleared my brain
After many many days of pouring rain
I'm still not sure I know where I'm going
But at least now the emotions are flowing

It's not great poetry, but it's true.

Compass

The rain has dampened my nature photography. I am trying to write but my brain is mush. Babies bring you down to their level, which is full of wonder, curiosity and movement - but not much creative or critical thought. Or time...

I've been having a bit of an existential crisis lately. Frustrated by how our society enables irresponsibility at the expense of those who are not. Trying to figure out how to balance compassion with consequences.

Tonight I became philosophical when Margo pooped in the middle of the night. I changed her. It woke her up and I had to spend half an hour putting her back to sleep. But I thought this was better than going to bed and making her deal with the diaper rash later.

I am not always right. I am never perfect. I do my best and trust my gut. It felt right to me.

There is faith, and there is blind faith. As naive as I've been, I've never been blind. But sometimes I really wish I were. Instead, I'm stuck looking for a channel.

Wildflowers

2 Kids and a Hippo

Here Comes Trouble

Time to hide the Legos, clean the floors, and plug up the outlets... Margo is mobile. And curious.

Blueberry Ice Cream

First, the dinosaurs were destroyed by asteroids.

Then I ate blueberry ice cream.

And then God made the world for us.

---So Sayeth Owen

Family Picnic

Some pictures from the Myers' visit to Old Saybrook...











And here's a link to some more random family photos on Facebook.

Sidewalk Chalk

You know you're an instructional designer when your son, given a box of sidewalk chalk, draws a panoramic illustration of the solar system so that "anyone who walks by can learn about the planets."

8 Months Old

The best thing about spring? Change of scenery.



The worst thing about spring? Teething (3 teeth since May 9, and one more about to break through).



Margo loves to stand (with help, of course). She'll stand there, insist on holding on with just one hand, wave wildly at anybody who will pay attention, and dance a little jig. We keep trying to tell her she is not going to walk anytime soon. Lately she seems to believe us and now she's very determinedly trying to crawl (much to our chagrin - the sit still and smile stage went by way too fast).





Thankfully, with teeth and crawling comes finger foods and fewer bottles. Pretty soon she'll be able to eat pizza with the rest of us.



Baby's starting to become a little person.

Spring Garden (a.k.a. What is This? Round 2)

This is our first spring in our house and I'm a visitor in my own garden. If you know more about flowers than I do, please introduce me...

This peppermint-like flower appeared in my front yard after my crocuses but before my daffodils:



This little pink flower also made an appearance.



And then, of course, came the daffodils.




In late April/early May, this little plant started flowering amongst my ferns and hostas.



May brought this wispy willowy bush looks like it might attract hummingbirds, if I could only get my act together to put the feeder out.



There are a couple of plants that need no introduction. One of my favorites... bleeding hearts.



And this pretty hydrangea that my parents gave me for Mother's Day. I love blue flowers.



As I'm wandering through my garden now, the ferns and hostas are lush and green, but there aren't many flowers. I planted some annuals, but now I'm trying to plan more perennials to fill this space next year. When I walk through the neighborhood, I see lots of irises, bleeding hearts, and peonies (which are beautiful, but I don't want the ants). Any suggestions?

Hike-Ette

Margo likes hikin' and I like lichen.

Rhododendron

7 Months Old

This has been Margo's busiest month yet... which probably explains why I'm two weeks late posting her 7 month update.



First of all, there are teeth, people! The first one (bottom left) came in May 9, and the second one (bottom right) started to come in today. She is no longer allowed to chew on our fingers. We are trying to break it to her gently. For now she seems to be content just spitting at us.



She is also starting to move. Her favorite method is to scoot around on her butt, which is tremendously entertaining to watch. She is also perfecting the roll-around method of travel, and can pull herself up on her knees while cross-legged. Have you tried that lately? Ouch.

And she has discovered that it is great fun to pull toys out of a great big basket.





This last pic is weird. I know she's lying down and I flipped it. But for some reason, when I looked at it, I thought I saw a glimpse of what she'll look like when she's older...