February stroll

We have a very long driveway

that leads to a very busy street.

But if you cross our very busy street, you'll find yourself on a very sweet side street.

We like to find ourselves there every now and then to enjoy views of a setting sun,

a beautiful, twisted old tree,

 a still marsh.

And during perfect summer evenings, a firefly-lit field.

These photos were taken during today's walk.

** On a side note, this has perhaps been the most mild winter of my thirty-one years. I cannot recall a February that looked like this. How is February from your home?

xox

October Chill

There is a slight chill in the air that can only mean one thing: October has made his way here...

We ran our insert yesterday, although probably a little more out of excitement than necessity:). I wanted to try out the 1/2 kettle that M&B gave me for my birthday. It looks so pretty sitting up there, warming on the little stove:).

We've been taking morning walks and have been trying to soak up all of the crisp, colorful goodness that only autumn can deliver.

pumpkins grace our doorstep :)

Ben has been walking.

He's been cruising for about a month now, but it is just so funny to walk into a room and see him vertical. Without holding on to anything.... it's amazing (we call him Frankenstein because he kind of sticks out his arms in front of his chest for balance:)). It's really, really cute. 

This weekend, summer will apparently make one last appearance; it's going to be 80 degrees....

We're going to head to our local botanical garden to check out the foliage... sans sweaters:).

Happy weekend!!

xox

the calm before the storm

We have an independent boy on our hands.

Now that he's the ripe ol' age of three-quarters-of-a-year old, he's exerting his independence, his big-boyness. Apparently, he's not a baby anymore. He doesn't need mama to hold his bottle, he reaches for the spoon during meal times. He crawls up the stairs on his own and scoots back down on his bum (this second part started today, and by the way, mama is secretly right behind him:)). 

Oh, that's our wood pile that we've been diligently stacking; getting ready for fall fires:)

I want to teach him so much, but I also want him to learn how to learn on his own. And it's really so fascinating, so wonderful, to watch him realize how the world works. I'm applauding his independence:).

He's had a bit of a cold lately. And while it makes me so sad to see him sick, he's a little more vulnerable and in need of his mama. And while I do love the independent streak, I embrace the neediness while I can. When he's sick, he sneaks over to lay his head on my lap (something he never does on a normal day, because he's too busy exploring, trying to wiggle free from mama's grasp). But since he's sick, I'm babying him; giving extra long hugs and rubs through the (sometime crocodile) tears, letting him take three hour naps during the day, throwing his usual schedule to the wind. It's no fun to be sick, especially when there's a whole world that needs exploring. So I'll make it as good as I can for him:).

We're hunkering down in preparation for Hurricane Irene. It's hard to believe that the seemingly quiet and and pensive sky is about to turn mad on us in a few hours.

The calm before the storm.

We're ready for it though; we've brought out the candles and flashlights, we've charged our cell phones, taken our patio furniture in for the night. I've even filled a few old milk containers with water, just in case.

Enjoy the weekend! I hope you're safe & prepared if you're on the east coast.

xoxo

A Weekend of Firsts

Happy mid-August:).

This past week felt a lot like the beginning of autumn; the days were rainy and dark, the night air had an early fall-ish chill. I'm trying so hard to just soak up the end of this summer, to be present and to bask in Ben's first summer,but I find my usual childhood giddiness with the onset of fall creeping in. 

Today we split and stacked wood; the wood that will provide the sole source of warmth for our home from October through April. And the whole time that I was stacking, the smell of logs had me day dreaming about apple picking, toasting pumpkin seeds, baking pies, lighting cinnamon-scented candles and snuggling up on the couch with a cozy blanket and a steaming cup of cider. Oh, how I love fall. And this fall, Ben's first fall, will be filled to the brim with everything that there is to love about the season. I'm going ten-fold this year. Ben may not remember his first autumn, but I'm laying the foundation for years and years of tradition to come. And it is going to be sweet, sweet, sweet:).

But I mustn't let the end of summer slip away without a proper goodbye. She is, after all, so very special in her own right. We're enjoying our summer, very, very much. This weekend we took the canoe out to our favorite little pond. We loaded the pup, the babe, a cooler full of snacks, wine, and the picnic blanket into the car and drove the two miles to the pond, where we relished in Ben's first (of many to come) canoe trip.

It was just perfect.

There is something so incredibly moving about watching my son experience his firsts in life. He's young now and won't remember this canoe trip specifically, but there will be so many canoe trips, so many campfires, so many frogs (he saw his first frog yesterday and laughed as it leaped out of my hands and onto his leg) for him to enjoy.

We're merely laying this foundation; a love of nature, of curiosity and activity, an appreciation of life. He won't remember these early firsts, but thankfully we will. And we'll keep them tucked away for a rainy fall day in the future... :)

Happy end of summer to you.

xoxo

midsummer dreams:)

It's already the middle of July! Where did time go? I take a bunch of photos, meaning to post & share, then two weeks go by in the blink of an eye. I'm going to try SO hard to be better at posting. I don't do it enough, but when I do, I love it.

So, here are some random happy midsummer notes, along with a few photos from Ben's first summer;). Happy Summer to you:).

midsummer garden peas

midsummer obsession with lobster



midsummer DIY courtyard installation project

midsummer cold :( and teeth!!

midsummer hummingbird lovin'

midsummer peek-a-boo

midsummer nap time

midsummer blocks

midsummer smiles

midsummer letters

midsummer hydrangeas, or snack, in Ben's case:) (he ate them right after this photo was taken)

midsummer dada ride; currently Ben's favorite activity

midsummer beauty

xoxo

My parents live near a sweet little farm in Connecticut. A few weeks ago, Matt and I stopped by with Miss Luna. And I don't know about you, but every four-legged creature that I see, in some shape or form, ends up reminding me of my dog. Is that just how it is when you love something so? You see a little bit of it in everything?

Luna and the goats had a mutual ambivalence/ curiosity towards one another.

Ambivalence...

Curiosity......

And so it went.

I especially like this little guy on the far right in the upper photo. It looks like he's posing for the camera. What a little ham:).

Happy almost Friday. I hope this weekend finds you doing something you love. We'll be at the beach in Newport, RI on Saturday and the evening will follow with some lobsters on the back deck (my favorite meal in the world:)).

Have a good weekend!

xoxo