snippets

Time.

Time has gotten away from me once again, and there is just too much ~ so I'll have to give you snippets...

Here is a photo I came across today that reflects to me just how fast time slips by...

Astrid was just shy of 5 months old...almost two years ago to the day...

It is a blessing and a curse to take as many photographs as I do.  It is a gauge of how much time has passed, but there is also a little sting when I look at this tiny girl in my backpack.  Maybe it is a little sadness about time gone by.  I do feel I've enjoyed every second of time, even the tantrums (after we get through them, that is), and the not-so-pretty moments of parenthood (there is more on the not-so-pretty later in this post, as a matter of fact).

We shut down the camp a few weeks ago.  Of course we continue to go up there through the winter but it is a little less convenient without running water.  Jeff had a burn pile going all weekend, too.  He took down several beetle killed pines.  Astrid and I kept ourselves plenty busy kayaking around the lake, throwing the ball for Skag, and crawling on the forest floor digging around to see all the cool stuff under the needles and moss.  We were also put to work pulling down a dead tree!  Jeff connected one of the trees to the Subaru with a long rope and when he gave us the signal we pulled it down.

We discovered these beautiful white berries all around the camp that day.  Astrid thought they were eggs... and there was one that looked exactly like a miniature white bird with her eyes closed tight.  She guarded them closely all afternoon until she squished the tiny "bird" by mistake.  We wrapped her in a band aid (like a sleeping bag) but the love was sort of gone after that.

I will never ever tire of watching the fog that often lingers on the lake this time of year.

After the last mowing job of the season Astrid got a fast whirl around the yard with Dad.  She couldn't stop giggling.  I just like this photo of the two of them for some reason.

We carved a relatively friendly pumpkin and baked the yummy seeds.  Mmmmm they were good.  Sorry to admit, we didn't save any for Daddy.  Maybe if it had been a larger pumpkin.

My friend Deidad got sworn in as a Naturalized US citizen.  It was a very powerful ceremony to witness, especially since I knew how much it meant to Deidad and her family with two young daughters.  There were 25 people from 20 different countries being sworn in that day at Federal Court in Missoula.  I felt privileged to be part of it.

I took some photos of two beautiful girls:  Ruby (6 months) and Monica.



In a serious sort of mood, and I love it!



A long awaited book arrived.  We are crazzzzzzzzzy about Mr. Magee around here.

There were trips to area pumpkin patches leading up to Halloween.

Sweet Seanie boy.

The easiest goin' guy I know, AND the most smiley.

I went to two 1/2-Griz games with Astrid and Jeff.

Astrid has this book called "The Great Monte Mystery" and she is just crazy about that bear.

Astrid with some other little Grizzly fans.

I love seeing these two together.

The Halloween costume I made for Astrid was quite a hit with her friends.  The idea was born back in July, and was easily carried out when Astrid got sick one weekend in early October and I had tons of couch time with my feverish babe on my lap.  A sort of impromptu knitting job truly inspired by my "Friendly Dragon Puppet" pattern, which I'm happy to report is finally online and for sale on Ravelry.  Ravelry users just type in "Friendly Dragon Puppet" in search criteria.

I think I will write up the pattern for this Halloween costume before next Halloween.  This is "Astrid the Friendly Dragon":

Funny thing about the costume she wasn't much into it until she saw the other kids in their costumes.  It might have had something to do with the fact that sometime in mid October Astrid went through this phase of completely noodling her way to the floor anytime I asked her politely to do anything (clean up her toys, wash her hands, brush her teeth, STOP running toward the road at full speed, stop crawling onto the table, etc).  It seemed she was doing the opposite of what I was hoping for each time.  Testing her limits at every moment...  None of it was a big deal on the grand scheme, mind you, but it was difficult to get out of the house on those days.  I'm so thankful for the ebb and flow.  Things happen in waves, so for now I'm enjoying having my girl back (no noodling going on here lately! he he he).

Halloween.

We went to a Halloween party a few days early since we had to be away for a very important date on Halloween weekend.

face paint



Astrid had some one on one time with Monte, and shared cotton candy with one of her favorite friends, Ro..



Then came our excellent roadtrip.  We drove to Portland, OR on a Friday, went to my cousin Emily's wedding on Saturday, and drove back Sunday.  Thank goodness Astrid is such a good traveller or we would have been in trouble.

We stopped just outside Portland at Horsetail Falls for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich lunch, and to stretch our legs.

The weekend was a whirlwind and Astrid was a whirlwind every place we went in Portland.  I swear it was because she'd been cooped up for so long without much of a nap.  At Emily and Paul's BBQ she weaved in, under and around each guest atleast a few times.  At the wedding it was even crazier trying to keep her "contained".  She certainly thought she was the main event.

Astrid playing with groom-to-be Paul (left) and my Uncle David (due to the proximity of Halloween) appearing out of nowhere with this getup on (right) at the BBQ the night before his daughter's wedding.



Astrid's au naturale...coastal curls.  Her curls fit her personality to a tee in Portland, and the more she'd run the sweatier and curlier that little head would become.

 
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The beautiful bride/cousin Emily and dapper cousin Andrew.  I have a video of the speech he made at the reception which I'm in the process of uploading to Vimeo.  I'll post as soon as it is finished.


  

The "Auntie" Inquisition.



After this magical evening with relatives I felt I was turning into a pumpkin.  I had to get back to the hotel to get some sleep to be able to do the 8 hour drive again first thing the next morning (I had dropped Astrid and Jeff off at the hotel earlier in the evening).  I didn't want the night to end.  I was just getting used to the idea that I was physically seeing my peeps on the West coast and not the East, especially Andrew.  In the 7 years Emily has lived in Portland, he hadn't made it out to see her until her wedding.  It was special.  Emily and I are the only cousins on Mom's side that live outside of Maine and New England, so events like these are few.

It was déjà vu all over again the next day on the road but we made it home in time to stop by a couple friends' houses to trick or treat. 

The lovely Delilah.

Day of the Dead Parade.  A walking art piece, and one of the coolest events in our town.

Hiking with my girl on Sentinel. 

Climbing trees at the park.  I thought it would be brilliant to put Astrid on my back and climb a cottonwood.  I realized quickly I couldn't do it, so I left her on the ground while I scampered up 25-30 ft in this old tree, only to look down and see her at the first rung (6 ft up).  My heart nearly stopped beating. Clearly it wasn't the best idea I'd ever had.  But I know this girl is a tree climber like her Mama, and that makes me happy.