It's the little things...

I've been on a glorious (almost) weeklong staycation, and tomorrow we start an actual weeklong vacation. These two + weeks at home with my family have been precious. And I've been able to slow down and spend the time focused on what matters, and I've been making a mental list of things I don't want to forget. Things like the way Kennedy waves at me right in my face, even if we've been hanging out for an hour already. Her sweet little voice reciting "dada dada, mama mama" nonstop sometimes. The huge bubbles she blows in the bathtub (teacher Kathy would be proud!) 

The way she rests her head on a pillow, or even tonight, curled up on her changing table to pretend to go "night night". The way she pops up when we go in to get her after nap, and she immediately goes to the corners of her crib to give her teddy bear and her bunny a kiss, and then love them up with a little squeeze. The way she hands me her taggie and wants me to cuddle with it. The way she communicates all of her wants and needs through a couple of signs (more, all done), yes/no nodding and shaking, and pointing. She looks at us so intently with her eyes when communicating, as if to make sure we're tracking her requests. 

Below are some candids from my phone - I downloaded them to my computer finally! I would hate to lose my phone and all the great pics with it, so I try to stay on top of transferring them via Dropbox. So easy. 

Learning a new hobby at Grandpa and Grandma's

1-day old cousin Noel! We can't wait for all the fun ahead of us.

Yesterday we went on a 7am walk. It was so gorgeously humidly hot already, and it's like she's saying, "Here we are!" as we looked over the pond at the nearby church. 

Pure joy on the swing

Learning how to ride the new playground equipment with Daddy

Our first little one, having Sushi with Your Poochie at the event in Uptown - she's got rice in her beard!

Hair blowing in the wind, going head first down the slide (fearless!)

Callie didn't want to walk anymore, so she rode with Kennedy in the stroller. This went on for about 10 minutes - the memory is priceless!

Can I just eat my Cinnamon Toast Crunch in peace? 

Watching the bigger cousins at the cabin (Memorial Day)

Her Daddy

Kennedy loves her daddy. I mean LOVES her daddy. They are like two peas in a pod, these two. They are silly and have a million jokes between each other, and he is also a fabulous caretaker. They take life in stride, while also respecting their weekday routines. He is so caring and sensitive to her needs, while also reinforcing boundaries, teaching, and saying "no" when necessary. And she just loves him.

I still don't totally know what roles Jake and I will play as she grows up, when we have to do more explaining, reasoning, and parenting becomes more of a mental than physical game. I'm not entirely sure if one of us will be the "tough" one while the other is the "softie", because I picture us taking turns and being great partners as we dance through this thing called parenting. But I am confident that no matter what, she will always feel loved.

One short story that I often play through my mind when I'm putting her to bed: One night, I was setting up the things in her crib, and he gently pointed out that I need to put the pink bunny silky on the right side by the crocheted blanket, because "then she can turn her head to the right and nuzzle into the silky while she plays with the blankie, because that's how she likes to lay." I was shocked (but not surprised) at how in tune and attentive he was to his daughter, as I hadn't even caught onto this habit. But he was right, and so that's how we do it. Every single night.

These are the things life is made of.

Updates from our fam

As you can probably tell from my lack of writing, we've been very busy! But I'm okay with that. I'm good with being disconnected and focused on what is happening around me instead of what is happening in the inter-webs. I haven't forgotten about you, readers! This spring has been just rough for us, because this little monkey doesn't like feeling cooped up one bit. She is on the GO - she is a mover and a shaker, which is hard to do in a 14x14' living room space (just a guess). 

So, one day we played dress up. We tried on the kimono from my friend Maya, who is basically from Japan at this point (she got married to a Japanese and had a cute little girl, Hannah, who we can't wait to meet this summer!)

We also had 1-year pictures taken by Crystal, and they turned out awesome. What I LOVE about this one is her uber-expression, which is not at all uncommon on a random Wednesday from this girl. She is one of the most expressive people I know. Not. even. kidding. 

We were silly during the photo shoot! She loves plugging her nose like something smells funny, and we say "P-U! Stinky!" and she gets the biggest kick out of the whole thing. This girl knows how to make me laugh (and she does it often!)

I spent a weekend away at a cabin in Cambridge, which was just awesome. I'm a bridesmaid in my dear friend Mary's wedding in a few weeks, and her wedding party threw her a bachelorette weekend away. Many of these people flew in from the East Coast, so it was a bummer when we had to bundle up and stay warm in mid-May in Minnesota. I wanted them to know that this is not normal! We'll be traveling out East for the wedding and visit some new states.

And... we've been peeking! Kennedy is a total ham, and loves engaging with everyone she encounters. Here she is peeking through the railing at Grandma and Grandpa's house a few weeks ago. Happy little girl makes for one very happy mama!