On the trails this week there are huge mud puddles to circumvent and the pungent smell of dog poop! Ahhhhh ~ The sure signs Spring!
(This photo was taken last week next to Rattlesnake Creek. Did I brag enough in my last entry about how much of a "watcher" this little gal is? When contained she is so content being just exactly where she is - in the carseat, highchair, jogger stroller, backpack .....when "un"contained - like at the Kettlehouse last Friday evening, well, that's a whole different story! he he he!! Let's just say she made us earn the one beer we each consumed! A big thank you to Lisa, Erik and Kathy! The five of us had fun taking turns running after her!)
There are so many things I look forward to with the arrival of Spring. On the top of this list is a vision I have. I imagine Astrid wandering up the trail on foot this Spring discovering the glorious wildflower display I look forward to every Spring for her very first time. I'm looking forward to all the things that she will help me realize that I have been walking by all this time. Not being at her height since I was about her age, I imagine there are millions of tiny little things that I have to rediscover this year, too, and the thought makes me giddy.
I feel a renewed sense of purpose with my photography. I feel like such a child. Free and new and undeveloped. I want to immerse myself in new and different ideas to try anything ~ without the worry of failure. And, if I do fail, not to worry at all, since it is the journey to the goal where all the juicy stuff is anyway. That's where the wisdom comes. Right?
(One of Astrid's reading corners. The other one is in her bedroom. You can find her, literally under this scattered pile of rubble many many times a day, that is, unless I leave it until after she goes to bed at night...and clean it up just once! She enjoys the practice of flipping through the pages with her thumb, and grabbing another book from the basket mid-flip. Before long her legs are covered with layer upon layer of opened books. I love to watch her do this. It's a quiet meditation for me - just listening to her breaths and the pages.)
Last weekend my friend Colleen asked what Astrid's current favorite toy is... I struggled to remember what it was. - I can't believe I didn't think of Mickey off the bat...but I have to say he has lost some of his popularity with Astrid lately. It could be because of that toothbrush I got with Elmo on it last Saturday!.....anyway, I digress, AGAIN. This A.D.D. is killing me! Colleen - this is what I was trying to describe to you. Astrid's obsession with books! books! books! This is her favorite thing.
Life is simply not boring around here. I didn't realize how comparatively boring my life was without Astrid (well, I'm kind of kidding here, I have never been bored, but you get where I'm going with this). You never know what you're going to hear come out of her mouth these days!
This morning Jeff got her out of her crib. She walked into our bedroom carrying her boots.....proclaiming at the door: "boot-sa ON". We were able to entice her for a few extra minutes in our bed with some fancy footwork. I'm not kidding about the footwork... Jeff and I made a pretty awesome fort with our feet under the covers. It was kinda fun.... SEE, that's one thing that I might not have done unless I had an Astrid!
Yesterday I was perusing some of the photos and videos I took of Auntie Kathy last August and I thought it would be fun to show Astrid when she woke up from her nap. She loved watching the video of Auntie Kathy work with her horse Missoula. After watching that video she said "Mo Nay Peas" (translated: More horses please. After this sweet request I had to bust out the YouTube search and put in "Icelandic Horse". Oh my gosh!!! This video is so great!!!! It brought me back immediately to our trip to Iceland and the horseback ride we took in the Northern part of the country! Astrid and I danced around the living room with the sound way up - almost singing along (well, if we only knew Icelandic). Check out the expressions on the Icelandic singer's faces! The guy in the front (while singing) with the big gap between his teeth is so fun to watch! This is our new favorite video:
Life is SO not boring.
2 comments:
I love your blog. You add smiles and joy to my life!
Thank you!
Tammy Brown
elizabeth, I too love your entries!! Keep them coming! Drew was just that way about staying put where he was. He NEVER once tried to get out of his car seat or stroller...he was so observant, that he was content taking in all his surroundings. AND if they never figure out they CAN get out, they won't try!!
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